


A Ghost of the Past

by Stormlight8



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Gen, a little bit of worldbuilding? Oops, ghost!Ace, okay it's a lot but still
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:27:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24923083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormlight8/pseuds/Stormlight8
Summary: When Ace passed on, he didn't know what to expect.  The fiery flames of hell?  Some sort of fairy tale land?  Wherever Ace had ended up, he expected Sabo to be there - and long story short, he wasn't.  So of course, Ace had to go see his brother; just a friendly haunting as he gets to see the life his revolutionary brother has built.
Relationships: Gol D. Roger & Portgas D. Ace, Gol D. Roger/Portgas D. Rouge, Koala/Sabo (One Piece), Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Portgas D. Ace & Portgas D. Rouge, Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Portgas D. Ace & Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate, Portgas D. Ace & Thatch, Portgas D. Ace & Whitebeard Pirates
Comments: 28
Kudos: 164





	1. Chapter 1

**Ace**

He had never really thought about where he'd go when he died. It just didn't matter to him - if he died, he died, and that was it. The end. Along with his two brothers, he grew up with the idea to live in the moment and have no regrets. He was a pirate and had the freedom to indulge in that lifestyle. 

_"Thank you...for loving me...."_

Ace cracked his eyes open and shielded his eyes from the bright glare. Though he felt emotionally drained, physically he felt fine. In fact, better than fine - all of the wounds he had obtained were miraculously gone.

He was not in Marineford. Akainu was not standing over him. Marines weren't surrounding him with the sole intent to kill him. His crew wasn't dying over him, not there. Marco, Pops....they who had given him a place to call home, were not there. And Luffy. Ace gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. What kind of big brother was he, to leave Luffy in that hellscape?

Ace shook his head, forcefully shaking those thoughts away. "No, Luffy....Luffy will be fine," he murmured. "Jinbei will take care of him. Luffy will get out alive."

He had to focus on his own situation - though it was nigh impossible to not worry about his little brother. Blinking, he looked past the glare, and his eyes widened. Even in the Grand Line, a place such as this one shouldn't be possible.

There was no building in sight. No people, no grass, no trees, no sky, no ground. Nothing. It was as in he stood on nothing, like a clear platform. The sky around him - or, more accurately area around him since there was no sky - was for the most part clear. However, he saw glints of rainbow colored light, as if he was looking into a glass cube that refracted light. 

Ace had expected hell to be all fire and flames as the drunkard's tales went, but this was a billion times worse. No people. No nothing. He couldn't even see Sabo again, or Thatch. And if he stayed, he would never be able to properly thank his mother. And that would not do - Makino had taught him better than that.

So he looked. He even tried to use his observation Haki. However, he had not really dedicated that much time to honing his skills on it, since he could turn the area around him into a blistering oven, so there was no need to sense attackers. He was painfully aware that if he had learned how to use his Haki better, he may have survived another day.

Finally, he rocked back on his heels and ran a hand through his hair, desperately wishing for his hat. "This is it," he sighed, tired. "This is hell."

"Oh, _hell_ no!" someone behind him exclaimed. "Someone as nice as your mother would never go to hell! I can not believe you'd say something like that Ace."

That voice....Ace whirled around, meeting the eyes of a friend months dead. Two other people stood behind him, but Ace could only wrap his mind around Thatch's presence. Thatch, who had died stabbed in the back. "...Thatch?"

Thatch grinned. "Yeah, it's me. I'd say I'm glad you're here, Ace, but..." Thatch sobered up. "I really wish you weren't." 

Ace enveloped Thatch - who stiffened in surprise - in a hug. "I'm just glad that with all the things that have gone wrong, I get to see you again."

Ace could hear Thatch huff in forced annoyance. "How you survived all those months without me is anyone's guess."

He pulled back from Thatch, rubbing the back of his neck, grinning. "I just got a bit excited. It's been a while since I got some good news."

Thatch cracked his knuckles. "Well, you'd better buckle up, because there's some people who've been dy-" Thatch cut himself off with a chuckle. "Who've been waiting to meet you."

Ace looked from Thatch to the blond woman behind him. Then he looked back at Thatch. "Earlier - you said - my mother, didn't you?"

Thatch nodded sagely, a smirk on his face. "May I introduce Portgas D. Rouge and Gol D. Roger."

Not giving Roger the time of day, Ace studied his mother's face. She matched every detail of the Wanted poster he had managed to posses, though the photographers hadn't managed to capture that kind and knowing look.

He bowed to her, clenching his fists and squeezing his eyes shut. He never thought he'd have such an opportunity, so he hadn't been able to rehearse in his head what he would say as it was with Shanks. "Thank you, so much. I owe you everything, the life I've lived - it's all thanks to you. And I'm sorry that your own life was cut short for my own -"

Her cool hand lifted his chin, and she looked down at him. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes, yet she still smiled at him. "You don't need to thank me, Ace. And you do not owe me either. Giving my life for you was the singular best decision in my life, and I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Ace stayed bowed for a moment longer, but feeling the stern pressure of her gaze he hesitantly stood back up. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out. 

Finally: "Why?"

Rouge smoothed some of his hair back behind his ear, and she smiled at him. "Because I'm your mother and I love you, that's why. Do I need any other reason?"

Ace had an unspoken rule that he had only broken enough times to count on one hand; tears were forbidden. They meant weakness, and no one could open any crack in the armor that he put up. If that happened, it could mean certain death. It was why he had made fun of Luffy so much when they were younger, but now he found himself desperately blinking away water from his eyes. "Thank you...I think I spent the time you gave me well," he said, wiping away the tears before they could leak down his cheeks.

She pulled him in a hug,, and though he couldn't see it he could feel her smile. "I know, my dear. And I am so very proud of you."

Ace breathed out shakily, then pulled himself away from his mother. Looking around - still ignoring Roger - Ace frowned. "There's someone missing here."

"What?" Thatch questioned with an arched eyebrow. "What are you on? It's just us that came to see you - if there was anyone else, believe me, we would've known."

Ace shook his head. "No, that's not right. My brother- he should be here....." his hands went limp at a dawning realization. "Did...he not want to see me?"

"Who, Ace?" Thatch asked, exasperatedly. "Don't leave me hanging here."

Ace crossed his arms and frowned. "My brother, Sabo. He died ten years ago after getting blown up by a Celestial Dragon."

Roger cleared his throat. "There's simple reason why your brother is not here with us today."

Ace glared at the King of the Pirates. "What."

"Son-" Roger began, and Ace cut him off.

"You're not my father, so can it. Pops is my only old man, got it?" he growled.

Roger raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, my apologies....Ace. What I mean is, your brother is still alive."

Ace stared at the old man. " _What_?"

"Since we could not look out for you while alive, we made sure to at least watch our son grow up from the afterlife," Rouge explained for Roger. "We saw everything." Rouge's expression darkened. "Garp wasn't the worst option, but he definitely wasn't the best...."

Ace snorted. "You got that right, stupid Gramps."

Rouge nodded sagely. "Anyhow, that day the Celestial Dragon came, your brother survived the blasts. He seemed to be rescued by Garp's son - your brother Luffy's father, Monkey D. Dragon."

Ace's eyes widened. "You mean, the revolutionary army's commander?" So he wasn't the only one with famous blood ties.

"Yes," Rouge confirmed. "The revolutionary army had come because they had heard about the determined fire in Gray Terminal, and got to recruiting the survivors. They had apparently stayed in the area after that, allowing them to find Sabo, gravely injured after the Celestial Dragon's attack."

"But," Ace asked. "Why were you keeping an eye on Sabo? And why didn't he come back?"

Rouge smiled at Ace. "Because he is important to you, and you are important to us. Of course, we couldn't go too far from you since you are the one Roger and I had ties to, but we were able to figure out what had generally happened. Sabo most likely would've made his way back to you, if he could."  
  


Ace tensed. Had Dragon done the unforgivable and hurt Sabo? "What do you mean?"

"Sabo, because of the Celestial Dragon's barrage of attacks, lost his memory of all his time spent on Dawn Island. He didn't remember you, or Luffy, or any of it." Rouge grabbed Ace's hand. "I'm sure he would've come back to the two of you if he had only known to."

Thatch held up a hand. "Woah there, hold on a second. How were you able to keep an eye on Ace from here?"

Rouge shrugged and adjusted the flower in her hair. "It's rather simple. If you have a strong connection with someone from the land of the living, it allows some spirits able to go and haunt the one with the connection."

Ace frowned and pointed at Roger. "Yeah, but we definitely do not have a strong connection."

Rouge shook her head. "You may resent Roger for his legacy, Ace, but you two still have a connection, albeit a one-sided love and a one-sided hatred. Adding the fact that the two of you are related by blood, Roger was able to accompany me to watch over you, though his connection was not as strong as mine. 

Another way to haunt someone would be if they obtained the same Devil Fruit, which is in theory, stronger than blood ties or emotional ties as it would be like they posses your soul through the Fruit."

Ace thought it all through. "So I can check in on how Luffy is doing?"

"Considering how close the two of you are, I would say for the most part, yes. The connection wouldn't be as strong because the two of you don't posses blood ties, but your emotional connection is very strong. So in terms of strength you'd be able to go and see him from time to time, but you wouldn't be able to do much else. 

With Sabo, you'd be able to go to him even less because you've both grown into different people since you were ten. That doesn't mean the connection is diminished necessarily, just that it complicates things a bit more."

"So I could've visited my crew?" Thatch asked incredulously. "I could've totally messed with Haruta! What a wasted opportunity."

Ace grinned. "I'm sure you'll have more chances. Haruta won't go down easy."

"You're thinking of a poltergeist, or something along those lines," Rouge guessed.

Thatch nodded eagerly. "You think I can do it?"

She sighed. "Though your emotional connection is strong with your crew, you don't have the blood ties to give it that extra strength. You'd only be able to be a specter, not able to move items around."

Thatch shrugged, grinning. "That's alright. Finally, I can get some blackmail on Haruta. He won't know what hit him when he comes up here in another sixty years!"

"I hate to interrupt," Roger said, interrupting. "Unfortunately, we have another we need to meet." Roger met Ace's eyes. "An old friend to me....and a father to you."

Ace turned towards Roger sharply. "Pops?"

Roger nodded mournfully. "A good man, to have gained the unwavering respect of so many. I respected him, even as we were rivals. I'm glad that he of all the people took you in."

 _So was he._ Ace turned away from Roger back to his mother. "How do we get to Pops?"

Rouge tapped the side of her head. "The power of thought. All you must do is think of the one in this realm you want to see and you will appear in their realm of space."

Ace instantly thought of Pops. How the man accepted him, despite all the murder attempts. How he, and the rest of the crew, became family. 

It happened quickly. He just blinked, and he was alone again. Well, alone except for the man Ace owed everything to. Mouth dry, he rasped, "Pops?"

Whitebeard turned and faced him. Like Ace, Pops looked completely healed of injuries. He hesitated in face of his father, looking down in shame. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize, my idiot son," Whitebeard said, looking down on him. However, what shocked Ace was the trail of tears on his father's cheeks. "None of that was your fault. The decision to go to war was mine, not yours, so stop blaming yourself, son."

Such forgiveness from people who died because of him, they continued to love him. A miracle, it had to be. Yet, Ace smiled at the man who he called his father. "Thank you, Pops."

Pops smiled back at him. "Well, how about we go and round up the rest of my idiot sons. I bet they're rather confused as to their whereabouts."

"We'll help too, old friend." Roger said from behind Ace.

Whitebeard looked from Roger to Ace. "I assume you have met?"

Ace huffed. "Eh, I suppose."

Whitebeard looked back to the three behind him, and the man's face softened. "Thatch, my son...."

Thatch strolled forward. "Hey, Pops, don't worry about it. Like you told Ace, it's not your fault. It was Teach's choice to commit a taboo, not yours, so let's not even think about it until that bastard makes his way here."

Whitebeard was still for a moment, then let out a bellowing laugh. "You're right, my son. Let's gather the family together, and when Teach gets up here, we'll show him not to mess with family."

"If he even comes up," Ace muttered. "He's likely going down."

Whitebeard grinned. "Hear, hear!"

Rouge explained to Pops the schematics of travel in the dimension, and they began their hunt for the Whitebeard pirates. Of course, it was Rouge who rounded up most of them, considering she had the most talent for traveling their afterlife. Pops found the second most through sheer determination, and Ace and Thatch came in third. Roger traveled with Rouge.

Once his crew got over the excitement of being in spectacular health (besides being dead) they unsurprisingly went into party mode. Except for the fact that they were in the equivalent of a glass cube of an afterlife.

A grin spread across Rouge's face. "Don't worry, boys, I can fix this place right up for you."

The Whitebeard pirates stared at her. "But how?" one exclaimed.

Rouge held up a hand to silence the outbursts, and miraculously the crew listened. "This afterlife takes power of thought. It can be anything we want it to be here - we just have to think it. It's the same as how we transport ourselves to find each other, and it's the same as how we can hide ourselves from each other if we do not wish to have company. Observe."

One single blink transformed the glass cube. The rainbow lights had morphed into a cloudless blue sky, and suddenly Ace found himself standing in sand. The warm sun beat down on them, and cool wind blew past. Water lapped up against the shore, and an open bar was set up underneath lush trees.

The men and women gasped and practically paraded to the bar - they deserved it, after all. They had fought in a war that was inevitable, yet should never have happened. 

However, they still waited until Pops, Ace, and Thatch all had a drink before they began the festivities. 

Ace leaned back in the sand, listening to his comrades talk, laugh, and joke. This was better than he deserved, but the ultimate height of his dreams. And though he couldn't contact Sabo yet, he would wait as long as it took. Something told him that soon, Ace would be able to speak with his brother after the long ten year gap.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this chapter follows the Dressrosa arc closely, some lines are from the manga - I did limit them, as it would be no fun reading a repeat of Dressrosa, of course (or writing, I may add). Enjoy!

**Ace**

He sat on the edge of the boat, letting his legs dangle above the ocean. Two years, and he still couldn't wrap his mind on how real everything seemed.

Whitebeard has replicated the Moby Dick, and Ace gladly stayed. Sometimes they docked at an island of their own creation, though Ace felt it was a hollow sentiment - there would be no people on any of those islands, and would only amplify any homesickness.

Ace was just glad to be with his chosen family, even if he was still of the opinion they were all relaxing in the afterlife too soon. A year back, more of his crew members joined him after the Whitebeard pirates lost the Payback War against Blackbeard.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of anger at that traitor. But there was nothing he could do about that. Not yet, anyway.

His mother and Roger stayed for the most part, yet Ace was still reluctant to be near the man.

A part of him felt guilty, as if he was making Rouge chose. She left with Roger every couple of weeks to go off on their own, and Roger left for those 'vacations' because of Ace. But she always came back, and when she did it always felt like a great weight was released from his chest.

Ace, of course, made a point to go visit Luffy, who had currently been trained by the Dark King Rayleigh. Luffy hadn't been able to see him, and Ace hadn't been able to interact with his little brother, but Ace was still proud.

He had attempted to go see Sabo, but the connection was glitchy and he could only stay for a few minutes at a time. He wasn't a believer that time could wear away their bond, but could they have really changed so much?

The sun was sinking on the horizon, pinks and oranges blending together, eventually darkening to a starry night. He could hear his family laughing in the back, surrounded by Pops, their center.

A plate of steaming hot barbecue was thrust out towards Ace. Technically, they didn't need to eat, but what's a party without food? "Some barbecue for your thoughts?" Thatch asked.

Ace arched an eyebrow at his friend. "Is this a trap? Usually you fight me off from the food, not offering it up to me on a silver platter."

Thatch snorted. "There's no trap, especially since we have an unlimited food supply now. Fitting for a man who can eat the stores out in a day."

Ace grinned. "Ah, you loved it though. It gave you a chance to try out new recipes, right?"

Thatch frowned at him. "That was not your intention. And food costs money, you know! Do you know how much of a pain it was, trying to keep up with your appetite? I was seriously considering in investing in a lock for the storage room."

Ace took the plate of barbecue. He wasn't one to refuse food, and Thatch made the best. They were quiet for a moment, lost in their memories.

"You know," Ace began. "I wanted to become a pirate to be free."

"And?" Thatch prodded. "Has that changed?"

Ace shook his head. "No....I just don't feel free right now. This place, our afterlife, it feels like a cage. A gilded cage, but a cage nonetheless. We can't do as anything of meaning here. All we do is laze away."

Thatch sighed, watching the last remnants of the sun disappear. "I get what you mean. But do we really have any choice here? I think the crew all know it, but there's nothing we can do about it. The strongest man in the world has nothing on the grips of the afterlife."

He tilted his head back. Already cleared the plate, he scooped up the scraps and swallowed them. "So I guess that's it th-"

A blink was all it took, and he wasn't on the Moby Dick anymore. Instead, it looked like he was in some sort of...Colosseum. Water filled the Colosseum, and animals were rampaging in the crowds.

"What the hell?" Ace sputtered.

Was Luffy there? Was his kid brother in sort of danger or something, was that why he got pulled so suddenly from the afterlife? It was definitely the real world - the sort of chaos he was witnessing could only belong to something living.

From out of nowhere, flame spewed across the arena, and Ace could only stare as they washed over him. Finally, he found the source of the fire, and a slow grin spread across his face.

Sabo had broken through the arena, the water flooding into the space underneath. His brother was dressed up strangely, with a gladiator's helmet, a red cape, and an obviously fake scar for whatever reason, but that was definitely Sabo.

Sabo jumped down into his newly made opening, and Ace shrugged and did the same. He figured he'd find answers eventually. At least now he knew why Ace was there - Sabo had done it, and ate the Mera Mera no Mi.

Dropping down into the hole, Ace smirked at his brother. "Took you long enough! I was getting bored over in the afterlife, you know? Only so much you can do before you want to tear your hair out from boredom...."

His voice trailed off and his smile fell. Sabo was talking animatedly with a group of people. Sabo, though he had eaten Ace's Fruit, still couldn't hear him.

Ace frowned, somewhat bitter. At least it didn't feel like he was going to be pulled back to the afterlife soon, like usual. A clear connection, not glitchy at all.

He ran an eye over those gathered. He recognized the Fishman and the girl Sabo usually had for company - Hack and Koala were their names, he believed. There were others, contestants of whatever was going on above, he supposed.

However, he did recognize two of them - Nico Robin and Usopp. Two members of Luffy's crew. He crossed his arms - what were they doing there?

The last time Ace had gone to the living world to check up on them, the Strawhats had saved Fishman Island. When he had told Pops that, Pops laughed. They all expected great things from his kid brother.

Suddenly, the loudspeakers came on, and a nasally voice echoed through the area. Ace guessed that it was Doflamingo - the Warlord was treating....whatever this was as some sort of game. Then he began listing targets. The lower level targets were, for the most part, people he was unfamiliar with - he recognized Zoro, and knew some of the names that belonged to Luffy's crew.

Then he said Sabo's name. And Luffy's. Not unexpected, but Ace clenched his fists. The whole island was going to be searching for his brothers, and there was nothing he could do about it.

 **"** Me too? **"** Sabo exclaimed, aghast.

Ace patted Sabo's shoulder. "You'll be fine. In fact, this is great! It's practically a Wanted Poster, which is generally a sign to start celebrating."

He could've sworn Sabo flinched.

Doflamingo stopped listing off names, ending with Usopp as the highest ranking target (Usopp seemed to disagree with the Warlord's conclusion). Ace shifted himself into a defense posture as he noticed the other folk in the room had turned to look at them. Even though he may not be able to do anything, perhaps with his new connection with Sabo he could stall them enough for everybody to escape.

 **"** Sabo, what do we do? **"** Sabo's partner, Koala, asked. She too looked ready to fight, but it was more of a 'we're-cornered-now-so-I'll-do-what-I-can' sort of determination. From what he observed, she could kick ass, but preferred covert missions.

Sabo pointed away from the forming mob. **"** We're going to the surface. Fast! **"**

The rest of the group picked up the wounded Usopp and took off running towards the surface. Ace stayed behind with Sabo, who waited until every last one of them was on their feet and running.

A Den Den Mushi rang and Nico Robin picked up. **"** Zoro? **"**

The cool voice of Luffy's swordsman came out from the speaker. **"** Yeah. **"**

The two talked, comparing notes, and Ace had to smile when he heard Luffy's voice. His little brother had good friends. However, then the topic of the Mera Mera no Mi was brought up - apparently, the pink headed girl in the group had wanted it. Lots of people probably did - it was a destructive force and a rare Devil Fruit. Ace wondered what she wanted it for, but Luffy seemed friendly with her and she with him, so that was alright.

The topic shifted again, more towards where everyone was and who was with who. Sabo and Koala left almost immediately, finger to their lips. Ace rolled his eyes. Revolutionary secrecy or whatever. Too formal for him and far too many rules - he would bet a hundred beli that Sabo had mountains of paperwork waiting for him because of this excursion.

Sabo seemed to know where he was going, so Ace just followed him. The city was in ruins and people were running about as if they were headless chickens. It was as if the entire city had shifted, regardless of the buildings and people in the way.

Another thing Ace noticed while running alongside his brother were the thin strings glinting throughout the air. They even surrounded the island like a birdcage. From the corner of his eye, he saw one shoot towards Sabo, but Ace pinched it between his fingers. The string burst into flame, becoming nothing but ash. The corner of his mouth flicked upwards - so he could use his Devil Fruit in the world of the living. Because Sabo possessed it now, Ace's abilities weren't as strong as they had been before, but he could still use them to an extent.

However, they didn't stay interrupted forever. The practically ran into a squad of Marines. Ace scowled. He had many, many bad memories of Marines, most of which could be blamed on Garp. But the white coat of the one leading them was befitting of one rank: an Admiral.

The man was surrounded by his comrades, who in turn circled the two of them. Ace couldn't see any pupils, just the whites of his eyes. **"** You wouldn't move.... **"** the man began. **"** No matter what I said? **"**

Sabo swung his pipe onto his shoulder, a grin on his face. Flames flickered on the edges of the pipe, and Ace readied himself besides his brother. He didn't know how much he could help, but he damned well wouldn't just sit back and watch.

 **"** That's right.... **"** Sabo smirked. **"** The 'Straw Hat Pirates' and the fighters that have aided them. Also those who potentially pose a threat. We will not let any of you pass from this point onwards. **"**

Ace shot a look at Sabo. _"We"_ , Sabo had said. Did he mean the Revolutionary Army, or...did Sabo somehow conclude that he was not alone in this battle?

 **"** Was it part of the Revolutionary Army's job to provide support for pirates...? **"** the Admiral asked gruffly.

 **"** Naturally. **"** Sabo answered. **"** As a part of the Revolutionary Army, it is my job to make sure you do not pass! **"** Sabo paused, then tilted his head. **"** Ah, my mistake....It's as a brother! **"**

He laughed - he just had too. "Still as clever as usual, huh Sabo?"

As usual, no response.

The Admiral frowned. **"** Oh? And whose brother might you be? **"**

Sabo just grinned and dashed forward, hand in that strange - and to be blunt, impossible for normal people - pose named after Dragon, inflicted himself upon enemy troops.

Ace ran forward as well. "I wonder..." he mused. "If this will still work!" He held out the palm of his hand, intending for a stream of fire to shoot from it. Instead, a trickle came out. He looked at his hand disappointingly. "I had expected better, but...I'll take what I can get!"

According to Rouge, he ought to be able to interact with the world of the living better now that Sabo had eaten the Mera Mera no Mi. Sabo hadn't been able to see him yet, or hear him, but Ace was sure he had been able to feel Ace.

So Ace opted instead for utilizing his meager fire powers, he'd go with his abnormal strength he'd had since he was a child. Swinging a punch towards the first marine he came across, the man went down like a sack of potatoes. The men around him went down pretty quick as well when Ace got to them. He could take these shrimps - Sabo's real test was against the Admiral.

Sparing a look towards his brother, Ace's eyes widened. For having eaten the Mera Mera no Mi only within the last couple hours, Sabo showed insane control. But fire was pretty damn difficult to control - and Sabo was using the fire too....broadly. It gave the fire more room to destroy and to tarnish as well as hurt innocent civilians. If Sabo wasn't careful, he could very well destroy the whole island. And though his brother was smiling, Ace knew that Sabo was thinking the same thing he was.

After all, when he was the captain of the Spade pirates, he couldn't even count how many times he had almost burned the ship down.

Slamming his knee into an unsuspecting marine's gut, Ace turned his thoughts to Sabo and their connection. Rouge always said that because they were dead, they had no corporeal bodies. All they had was their soul, which translates into thought, making them almost pure thought. That was how they were able to travel the afterlife as well as model it after any place they could think of, from the Moby Dick to Dawn Island.

Perhaps Ace could exploit his connection with Sabo and the Mera Mera no Mi, and through his thoughts could give Sabo extra strength and control with the fire....

It was a long shot - he knew he was grasping at straws. And while Sabo was already extraordinary - he could even use Haki better than Ace - he needed any and every edge against an Admiral. Ace wasn't about to let another brother die on Luffy.

Almost immediately, Ace saw the effects. The fire became more controlled. Less like an accidental explosive was set off and more like a sharpened sword.

Ace elbowed a marine in the face and grinned. "It worked! I bet I can drop more than you can though, even with your new power."

He could hear Sabo laugh from somewhere inside the inferno, but he didn't dare think that it was in response to him. Ace wanted to be a hundred-and-ten percent sure that Sabo could hear him, then he'd celebrate.

"Help! It's too hot!"

"Water, someone get some water!"

"There's more of them, no way is that one guy taking us all out!"

"How did half our squad get taken out? Impossible!"

The marines screamed as their carefully crafted confidence shattered. It was easily done - the two that Ace was worried about instead was the Vice Admiral and the Admiral. The Vice Admiral's strength was a mystery. They could range from relatively weak to insanely strong, such as stupid Gramps.

"Guess I should take you out for Sabo," Ace rolled his shoulders. "I have a feeling that Admiral will be a pain so I should get you out of the game while you're easy pickings."

He took off at a sprint and put every once of Haki he had into his arms. True, he hadn't spent much time practicing in life, but in the afterlife Roger had attempted to teach him as "father-son bonding time". Ace only stuck around so he could learn, yet he felt that Roger left their session pleased. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Slamming his fist against the Vice Admiral's mask, he watched as spiderweb cracks spread on the side, then fell apart completely. The Vice Admiral went flying and crashed into the dirt. All sounds of battle halted, save for the crackling fire and unstable debris.

The Admiral stood calm. "Was that you who attacked my subordinate?"

Sabo shook his head, eyes wide. The other marines falling could perhaps be excused as casualties of Sabo's fight with the Admiral, but it was a stretch. Ace's attack on the Vice Admiral gave evidence that it wasn't just circumstantial - it was another attacker. "Nope, not me."

The Vice Admiral groaned, struggling to prop himself up. "There's another one of you here, isn't there? I didn't even see the attacker! Who was it? A pirate, or one of your revolutionary buddies?"

Sabo shrugged, that look of surprise already gone. "I've no clue. I'm just as in the dark as you are."

The Vice Admiral made his way to his knees, wheezing. "I --won't let you scoundrels," he coughed. "run around causing chaos -"

"Enough," the Admiral intervened. "You are not yet ready to fight a man you can not see, much less the second in command of the revolutionary army. Leave them to me."

A loud rumbling shook the ground, and Ace grabbed onto his hat as if it would grant him stability. "What is that?"

His question was answered moments later - a meteor broke through the clouds. It's destination? Right towards Ace and Sabo.

"Oh sh-"

The meteor made impact. Ace didn't have to worry about the meteor since he was already dead - if he had wanted to, he could've just let the chunk of rock go right through him. Yet through instinct he still dodged the impact as much as he was able. At the corner of his eye, he could see Sabo do the same, spots where he was hit erupting in fire.

Unsurprisingly, the Admiral still stood. Then the man put a hand to his head. **"** Oops...my bad. Looks like the impact was larger than expected! Are the people safe? **"**

Ace stared at him. "He..." then he shook his head. "No point in trying to reason that out. Are all marines insane?" He frowned at the marine as he and Sabo exchanged words. Maybe he could take out the Admiral for Sabo....he was invisible, after all. But considering his own experiences with Admirals, he shouldn't underestimate this one.

One word caught his ear: **"** Fire Fist Ace **"**.

 **"**..It's the same for you too? **"** the Admiral was saying.

 **"** We swore! **"** Sabo said. He lost his smirk, but was still smiling. **"** All three of us. We have an unbreakable bond that can't be broken no matter what! **"**

The Admiral sighed. **"** What a troublesome bunch! **"**

Some marines went into a panic - how could someone such as Luffy have two incredibly strong brothers? Ace thought it was the other way around: How could they have an incredibly stubborn, strong-willed, and kind little brother? Luffy was his family, and Sabo still shared those sentiments as well.

 **"** No more... **"** Sabo said, hat pulled over his face, a look that almost sent Ace reeling. Sabo didn't...blame himself for his death, did he? _Of course he did._

Ace clenched his fists, then let out a long breath. "Let's kick his ass, Sabo."

As if in response to Ace, Sabo let out a maelstrom of fire, launching himself at the Admiral. Ace did the same, backing his brother up. The Admiral met Sabo head on, then pushed him back with a blow powerful enough to crack the floor. Then the Admiral moved just enough that Ace dove right. Past him. The Admiral's steely grip locked down on his outstretched arm, then threw him against the rubble of fallen buildings.

Ace coughed as he made impact, feeling the stone crack behind him. No blood came out, but he felt his strength wane nevertheless. Yet he was grinning as he stood back up. In the afterlife, brawls and duels were had, but this sort of battle - putting everything on the line....it made Ace feel almost alive again. (Of course, he wouldn't die if he lost. He figured he'd be sent back to the afterlife if things got too bad.)

"So there is a second," the Admiral mused.

But how did that man know where he was? Maybe since the man was blind, Ace was practically a normal person to the Admiral. He'd probably detected Ace through some sort of sound on account of Ace's new abilities to interact with physical items with his connection to Sabo.

He saw Sabo's eyes flicker to the cracks on the rubble he had been thrown against, but Sabo said nothing and his focus returned to the Admiral. Ace, however, noticed Sabo's narrowed eyes, calculating as ever.

Flames swirled around Sabo, and from that he gained an inkling of an idea how to help his brother.

Willing himself to become pure flame, Ace merged himself with the fire swirling around. The fire roared with extra strength as if someone poured gasoline on it. The Admiral shielded his eyes from the blaze.

Sabo, Ace sensed, was just as shocked but kept a good poker face. In fact, as fire, his sense of Sabo was somehow amplified as if the joining of Devil Fruits gave Ace an inside peek at what he was thinking.

For some reason, Sabo was holding back. As Sabo danced in and out of the Admiral's reach, and gravity punched the ground where Sabo had previously been, he couldn't help but think that the Admiral was holding back as well.

Which was very strange, and since it didn't make sense, he figured it boiled down to some political nonsense.

According to their respective Devil Fruit powers, Ace had thought Sabo had the fight in the bag despite facing an Admiral. Sabo with fire, the Admiral with gravity. Whenever Sabo was hit by a wave of crushing gravity, he only had to respawn with fire, no injuries.

The clamor around them had died down a bit. Really, it was just the three of them in the area at that point. The activity had moved to the higher levels of the palace while they were on the bottom. Ace guessed that Luffy was somewhere up there, going to fight Doflamingo if he wasn't already.

The Admiral stepped back, sheathing his sword. "I do not believe there is need for more fighting between us."

Sabo twirled his pipe in his hands, then swung it back over shoulders. "It should be enough time for you to stall. Luffy is already up there, fighting Doflamingo."

The Admiral nodded. **"** And though the marines have failed the citizens of Dressrosa terribly, we can still assist them in any way we can. Even the Navy....can't become heroes in this country. **"**

The Admiral turned leaving them both behind to watch them go. Ace separated himself from the fire, becoming Ace again. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Huh. I guess he wasn't so bad a guy." Sabo wobbled on his feet, then knelt to the ground. Ace immediately grabbed his brother's arm to steady him. "Hey, are you okay? Sabo?"

Sabo tiredly looked up - not at him, but at the string covered sky - and smiled. "I'm doing it Ace....I'm following your will. I'm protecting Luffy."

Ace wanted to groan and ran a hand over his face. "Yes, protect Luffy, but take care of yourself too! Idiot."

Sabo laughed, and Ace smacked his brother's head, which instantly caught on fire. "Ah!" Sabo exclaimed. "I'm still not used to that."

Ace sighed, laughing, them sat beside his brother. They sat there for a while while Sabo caught his breath. Ace knew that Sabo could keep going, but from the state of things - well, it's been a day, that was for sure.

"Sabo!" someone called - Koala was running towards them. **"** Sabo! Hello, can you hear me? Sabo? **"**

Sabo blinked and adjusted his hat. **"** Yeah, loud and clear. **"**

She yelled at him and Ace smiled. It was good, that Sabo had friends. People to back him up, or get him in line. He had had Marco and the Whitebeard pirates, and Luffy his crew. Each with their own life, yet not living any less for it (for the most part). Their bond was unbreakable, and nothing could change that.

Ssbo smiled at Koala and got to his feet. "Are you finished with your mission yet?"

Koala frowned at him. "Am I done with my mission? Hack and I have been doing all of the work!"

"But I got," Sabo lit his pointer finger on fire. "This."

She rolled her eyes. "You're going to be a bigger pain than usual." Sabo's smile widened, and Koala just shook her head. "Whatever. I still have some stuff to finish up here, so you help out the civilians or something, got it?"

Sabo nodded. "Okay."

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Okay?"

Sabo raised his hands in mock surrender, already walking off. "Don't worry about it! You go finish up the mission."

Ace hesitated long enough to hear Koala mutter, "Don't worry about it? That idiot...."

Nevertheless, she let Sabo go and Ace followed after him. As they walked through the broken kingdom, Ace attempted to help any citizens he could that were trapped in rubble. As he did, they looked around to thank their savior - but, they couldn't see him, so they walked away confused and grateful simultaneously.

Sabo, true to his word, did indeed help the people. Destroying any rubble that blocked his path, Sabo was able to get to citizens that very well may have been crushed to death.

He had been in the middle of assisting a woman when a man dressed as a gladiator ran up to them. "Please, you've got to help me!"

Sabo helped the woman out of the crevice she had almost been crushed in, then turned to the gladiator. "What is it?"

The gladiator's eyes widened, water brimming at the rim. "There's people - gladiators - trapped at the Colosseum. They can't get out and will be crushed to death! Please, help me save them!"

Sabo nodded brusquely. "Alright, lead the way!"

The gladiator nodded back, tears slipping freely down his face. "Thank you! Thank you!"

They ran through the city following the gladiator. Ace would have liked to stop and help those he had passed by, but they did not have the luxury of time. Besides, Ace had seen people helping each other. Though they were civilians, they were not alone.

Once again, they were back at the Colosseum. It looked worse for wear, if what he had seen earlier had given him anything to go by.

The gladiator led them into a crack in the wall, then led them down several hallways and flights of stairs. Finally, they reached a row of cells filled with men clawing at the metal rods keeping them caged. Cheers arose from the captives when they saw Sabo.

"I couldn't find the keys anywhere," the gladiator said. "I got out from some damage in the wall. I didn't know what to do until I saw you - a three star! You must be powerful to gain Doflamingo's ire, so please! Please get them out!"

Sabo cracked his knuckles. "Don't worry. I've got this..." His fist ignited in flame. "Alright, stand back!"

The gladiators hastily moved back from the bars of the cage. Sabo moved his hands so that they resembled the dragon claw, then slammed it against the wall. All at once, the wall broke apart, shattering into thousands of pieces.

The gladiators poured out of their cages, clapping Sabo on the back. A distinct ringing broke through the cheers, and Sabo pulled out a Den-Den Mushi from his coat pocket. "Hello?"

"Sabo!" Koala called out, her voice small despite the fact that she was probably yelling into the phone. "You need to get over here, _now._ "

Sabo smiled. "Oh yeah? But I'm helping out some gladiators in the Coloseum, and you're so far away - oh, what am I to do?"

"It's not for the mission, Sabo," Koala growled. "It involves your little brother."

Sabo's smile dropped from his face, and so did Ace's. Sabo turned away from the gladiators, slamming his Dragon Claw against the wall. Sunlight streamed into the dungeons, and the two jumped out of the hole and into the wrecked streets of Dressrosa. "I'm on my way."

They ran full speed at the location Koala gave them. Apparently Luffy had fought Doflamingo and beat him up badly. There was no winner yet, however - Luffy was on the run, powerless for the next ten minutes until he could use Haki again. And that's when Jesus Burgess planned to attack their little brother.

Ace gritted his teeth, speed picking up with every step. Part of him wanted to just teleport to Luffy, but what if he did but couldn't interact with the world, on account of being too far from Sabo? He wasn't sure of the range yet - though he was looking forward to experimenting. Ace didn't know if he could bear just being a witness while one of Blackbeard's men attacked Luffy. The best chance - though it killed Ace more than he was already dead - was to stay with Sabo and lend him strength and stamina to get to Luffy. Who was on the complete other side of the island.

Nothing was ever easy.

Running over rubble, Dodging roadblocks and collapsed buildings, Ace was afraid that he wouldn't make it. Luffy was his little brother - he was allowed to have adventures, but not at the cost of his life. That's why he was there, and Sabo, as Luffy's big brothers, to protect him from threats he was not ready for.

 **"** DIE, STRAW HAT! **"**

Blackbeard's captain of the First Ship lunged from one of the buildings down towards the entourage that Luffy somehow cultivated.

Luffy looked weakly up at Burgess, who was laughing manically, and then - was slammed away by a blast of fire. Ace skidded to a stop in front of Luffy.

 **"** Sabo! **"** Luffy exclaimed weakly. His eyes then trailed from Sabo to....him. Luffy smiled, but didn't say anything.

Ace turned back towards the fight, unable to keep the smile off his face. It may be coincidence, but Luffy smiled. At him. That smile could be considered their first interaction in two whole years.

Sabo pointed his pipe at Burgess. **"** I'm Sabo of the Revolutionary Army! And Straw Hat Luffy is my little brother. You got some beef with him, Burgess? **"**

Burgess groaned as he struggled to sit up. **"** Straw Hat...Your brother...? I feel like I've heard that before! **"**

Ace had lots of words he wanted to say to Burgess. Too bad he couldn't hear them.

 **"** Fire Fist Ace used to say that too, didn't he? **"** Sabo mused. His tone was playful, but Ace could hear a dark undercurrent. **"** Well, the three of us are brothers. The Banaro incident, and the Blackbeard pirates capturing Ace...That's what started it all, that horrible summit war!

Well, it was his life and it's not like I'm blaming you lot responsible for it but... From now on, I have Luffy's back. Remember that well! **"**

Ace nodded, arms crossed. "We're still kicking your ass though, so get ready."

Sabo exchanged words with Luffy, and even though the situation was, well, not great - but the three of them were together again, stirring up trouble. Just like the old times.

Then the people carrying Luffy hurried off, and Ace dashed off, not willing to let Burgess catch his breath and get the jump on them. His fist slammed into the man's face, sending him flying once again. Ace followed up with a kick to the stomach, then grabbed Burgess and slammed him into the ground.

"I was polite to you guys back at Banaro because it wasn't you lot I had beef with; it was Blackbeard," Ace said, letting the black sheen of the Armament Haki fade away. "But you guys just won't learn, so I have to beat it into every single one of you - Luffy. Luffy's friends. They're all off limits."

Ace turned around and saw Sabo walk towards them, fire swirling around him like a tornado. Burgess was still moving, eyes locked on his brother's fire. **"** That power.... **"** Burgess lunged forward with a surprising surge of strength. **"** Is mine! Galleon Lariat! **"**

Sabo only moved a fraction to duck, the bigger man flying over him. Then his arm outstretched. **"** Fire Flame! Dragon King! **"** Burgess screamed in pain, and Sabo advanced. **"** So you've finally set your sights on me, huh? It's just like I've heard then...A hunter that hunts Devil Fruit users! **"**

His eyes narrowed. When he had heard that Blackbeard had stolen Pops' Devil Fruit, along with wielding the Yami Yami no Mi, he couldn't believe it. It was impossible to posses two Fruits at once, yet that traitor had managed to do it, and they had their sights set on others with special powers.... He clenched his fists. That's why they were after the Mera Mera no Mi. And that's why Burgess had attacked Luffy.

Sabo charged at Burgess furiously, pole outstretched. "If you think I'm going to let you take Ace's memento from me, or go after my brother," Sabo swung the pipe full force at Burgess' head, flames sputtering out of it. "You're dead wrong!"

The pipe slammed against Burgess, who coughed up blood. Raising an arm, Burgess swung it as if it were a pipe. However, Ace saw the effect immediately. Anything near the man got obliterated. Sabo crouched down defensively, and Ace could tell that he was using Armament Haki.

Dashing forward through the chaos, Ace put as much heat and Haki as he could in his two fists, then sent a barrage of them into Burgess' face. Ace did not stop until he was positive that Burgess was done. The man wobbled, then collapsed onto the ground.

From somewhere on the island, a loud cheering arose, and Ace had a feeling it was for his little brother.

 **"** Aren't you going to kill me? **"** Burgess rasped.

Sabo looked down on Burgess disinterestedly. **"** I don't need to. Seems like everything's over. **"**

Burgess laughed and said something. He had the vague feeling Burgess was insulting him, but Ace had already beaten the crap out of him - what he was curious about was the ringing in Sabo's pocket. It kept ringing. And ringing. And ringing.

Ace was tempted to just take it out for his brother. Hand slipping into his brother's coat pocket, he carefully pilfered the Den Den Mushi. Sabo didn't even move - whatever crap Burgess was saying must've really gotten his attention.

 **"** When he realized he was going to be killed, he said... **"**

Ace felt the intense urge to punch Burgess again, but focused on the snail. Whatever Blackbeard's man was going to say, Ace didn't regret a thing. So what if they saw him as weak? So what if they thought he was a failure of a pirate? Ace had long learned that other people's opinions of him had no effect on him, no point.

He answered the snail. "Hello?"

There was a silence on the other side. Koala's voice came through the speaker. "....Who is this?"

Ace's eyes zeroed in on the speaker. "What?"

"...What?" Koala asked, voice guarded.

"You can hear me?" he asked, growing excited.

"Of course I can her you," Koala snapped. "Now, where is the owner of this Den Den Mushi? If that idiot gave away his Den Den Mushi to a complete stranger, I swear....."

Ace laughed. "Sabo is okay. He's -"

 **"** Enough, shut up! **"** Sabo growled, voice biting. **"** I've been thinking every night....About how he felt when he died! I don't need you to tell me, I understand everything! **"**

A stream of hot fire - hotter than anything Ace had felt before -streamed from Sabo's hands, enveloping Burgess. **"** I won't have any more regrets! Fire Gun! **"**

Ace stared at Sabo, who was breathing heavily. "Sabo...."

"Sabo, what?" Koala asked, tiny voice frantic.

 **"** I don't care...But Ace says he won't forgive you! **"** Sabo declared to Burgess' prone body.

Ace's throat was dry, and he felt he couldn't say anything. What was there to say? Sabo felt guilty about Ace's death, the way Ace had felt about Sabo's. However, Sabo didn't deserve that guilt. But Ace did - even at age ten, he had understood that if he had done something, anything, Sabo could've grown up with him and Luffy.

He definitely carried resentment towards Blackbeard and his crew, but... "When you're finally able to hear me again Sabo, we really need to sort this out."

"Hello?" Koala asked again.

Ace spoke back into the recorder. "I'm sorry, I got a little distracted. It was inappropriate of me to leave our conversation hanging like that. Sabo just torched Burgess. Interesting form of therapy, but trust me, beating up people you don't like isn't going to cut it."

"Who are you?" Koala demanded.

Ace shrugged, though she couldn't see it. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He thought for a moment. "When you see Sabo again, could you relay a message for me?"

A silence on the other end, then: "What's the message?"

He smiled. "Tell him that someday....I would like to do a dine-and-dash. Just like old times, me, Sabo, and Luffy."

"Old times..." Koala wondered. "What exactly do you mean?"

Ace chuckled. "I'd love to answer your questions, Sabo's going to start wondering where his Den Den Mushi went. Make sure to call him again - I don't think he even realized it was ringing."

He heard faint protesting, but Ace hung up then expertly snuck it back into Sabo's pocket. A minute later, the Den Den Mushi began ringing again.

"Hello, Sabo?" Koala asked. "Sabo, is there anyone in your area now?"

Sabo blinked and looked around. "No. I just beat Burgess but besides that, no one else is near. Why?"

Koala sighed. Ace could hear her frustration. "Nevermind. I'll tell you when you get to the Underground."

Sabo put the speaker back on the snail, ending the call and put it back in his coat pocket. Koala would be furious....Ace still found it funny that he now had more manners than his noble-born brother, all thanks to Makino.

Sabo started walking off, most likely to the Underground. "Koala's already done with her mission," Sabo laughed softly. "I expected nothing less. Guess I lost track of time!"

Sabo maneuvered the city as if he was taking a scenic stroll. Ace snorted. He was probably going slow to put off having Koala yell at him.

Finally, after going underneath the city into a secret harbor, Sabo met up with a ragtag group of revolutionaries.

"Sabo!" Koala shouted. "You can't just hang up like that!"

He tilted his head to the side. "Then how do I hang up on you?"

Koala pulled on Sabo's face, pinching his cheeks. "Not like that, you moron."

Hack sighed. "It is good you are here, Sabo. We've received information that CP0 is coming, so we really must head out, soon."

Sabo instantly sobered and Koala stepped away from him. "That's right. After what the Admiral pulled, and the amount of criminals on this island, it's going to be swarmed with marines. This is our chance to get out."

Sabo nodded and crossed his arms. "Yes, that sounds good. You should go, with haste. Can't have any of our talented revolutionaries getting caught here."

Koala frowned. "And what will you be doing?"

Sabo smiled. "I'm going to go see my little brother. Is everything on the ship ready?"

Koala nodded. "It is, but...."

"Good," Sabo interrupted. "Then get going - I'll be right behind you."

The revolutionaries rolled their eyes at Sabo, but they all made their way onto the ship. Koala stayed behind, Hack waiting for her on the ramp.

Koala tugged at her gloves. "I'll give Karasu a call. I heard he was in the area and will be able to give you a ride back to Baltigo."

Ace watched the two while sitting on an empty crate.

Koala also handed Sabo a piece of paper. "And here is Luffy's vivre card that you wanted me to make for you earlier."

Sabo took it and looked down at her, face creased in concern. A rare moment, for Sabo. Concern was weakness others could exploit, so he instead always wore a smile. Ace could relate. "Are you all right, Koala?"

She squared her shoulders. "I have a message for you," she began. "A stranger lifted your Den Den Mushi because _someone_ wasn't careful with it. Anyway: the stranger wanted me to tell you he wanted to go on a dine-and-dash with you and Luffy. Just like the old times...."

Koala had Sabo's full attention now. "What?"

Ace grinned. Finally, they were making some headway.

Koala shrugged, meeting Sabo's eyes. "That's what he said. He didn't leave a name."

Sabo stared at her.

The woman sighed. "How about this - when we get back to Baltigo I can see if we can recover the conversation so you can hear it yourself. Sound good?"

Sabo nodded slowly. "Alright, we'll do that."

Koala smoothed out the lapels of his coat. "Now don't get caught out there - you'll never hear the end of it."

Sabo rolled his eyes, cracking a smile. "I'd be a poor general if I got caught by the World Government."

"Yeah," Koala said. "So don't do it."

"I won't, I won't," Sabo promised.

Koala turned on her heel. "Good." She went and met Hack at the ramp, and the two brothers watched the ship depart from the harbor.

Sabo sighed, then looked around. "...Ace?"

Ace leaned back. "Sabo."

Sabo shook his head dismissively. "I'm getting into my own head..."

So close....

He followed Sabo as his brother snuck out of the Underground, following him all the way up a hill of flowers. From up above, he could see the ruined city, but believed that they would recover. It was human nature to patch up the broken pieces and keep going, wasn't it?

Sabo knocked on the door of a little cottage, then let himself in. Broken and bruised pirates lay scattered around, but they all seemed to be in good spirits.

Ace instantly picked his way through to Luffy and sat on the floor next to the bed. Sabo introduced himself and explained his relationship to Luffy. Ace listened to Sabo recount the events that led him to the revolutionaries. It explained everything, but Ace wanted to ask Sabo himself what happened one day.

 **"** It was Ace that told me everything," Sabo said, smiling. "At least, I believe so. He said to me, 'You're Sabo! A brother of Ace and Luffy's.' **"**

He sighed. It wasn't hard to guess how Ace "told" Sabo. He figured pictures of his dead body got to be on the front page. Talk about bad timing.

Well, Sabo stood up, straightening his coat. **"** Alright, time to go! **"**

Nico Robin murmured a word of protest, but Sabo just laughed. **"** I got to see him anyway! Oh yeah, I made a vivre card for Luffy. Just in case. **"** Sabo pulled out the paper and ripped off a corner piece. **"** I'll take one corner with me. **"**

Sabo smiled at the Straw Hats. **"** Well, Luffy might be a handful but...do take good care of him, won't you? **"**

It looked like it was time to say goodbye. He got to his feet and looked down at his little brother, who was covered in bandages. Like his mother did with him, Ace smoothed back Luffy's hair. "This is goodbye for now, Luffy. Don't cause too much trouble for your crew, alright?"

Luffy, who had been mumbling something about meat, fell silent. Then: "Ace?"

Ace froze, then grabbed his little brother's hand and squeezed it gently. "You'll do great out there, little brother."

Luffy's eyes fluttered, then he stilled, falling back asleep. Ace slowly released Luffy's hand and found Sabo staring at Luffy. The older man shook himself, then bidding farewell to Luffy's friends, walked out into the night.

Sabo's Den Den Mushi rang, and he answered it long enough to confirm he was leaving, then promptly hung up.

"So...." Ace said. "How are we leaving? Your friends left without you, you know...."

He trailed off, noticing a flock of birds - crows, to be exact - flying right in their direction. They swarmed over them and Sabo expertly hopped on as if he had done it a million times.

Ace just thought himself onto a crow. The crow wobbled a bit - he was _not_ that heavy - but righted itself quickly.

They were off towards Baltigo: the revolutionary base of operations.   
  



	3. Chapter 3

  
**Ace**

Ace sat on the edge of the boat, watching the waves lap against it. They had long since caught up with Koala, and it was smooth sailing.

Sabo was currently with Koala inside the boat, hovering over her shoulder as they struggled to bring back the audio of Ace's message.

He, however, stayed outside. Seeing the ocean again, and the blazing sun with the bright blue sky, it was almost too much. Ace smiled. It had been too long since he'd had a moment like this - he could almost forget that he was dead.

Which brought him his other source of amusement....

A large muscular man with a coat of feathers and a plague doctor mask stared him down. The man was frowning at him and Ace smiled. "Karasu, right? I know this is an awfully strange meeting for you, but it's always nice to meet friends of my brothers."

Not a word came from the man. Strangely enough, that man had a Devil Fruit power - he could transform into a murder of crows.

Ace had discovered that little detail when they had landed on the ship. The crows had all flocked together, forming an indistinguishable mass - until, that is, the mass became a human. The only thing the man said, in a low and raspy voice was, "Did you carry something heavy?" To Sabo, who had confusedly said he did not.

Of course, that's when Karasu saw Ace, who just smiled and put a finger to his lips. Luckily, Sabo seemed in a hurry and quickly went into the boat, leaving Karasu and Ace somewhat alone.

Karasu said something, but it was mumbled to a point where Ace had to strain himself to hear the man. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I couldn't hear you...."

The man sighed, shoulders drooping downwards, yet he adjusted a little knob on his plague doctor mask. "You are Portgas D. Ace."

He nodded. "That's me, in the spirit."

Karasu looked back toward the doors leading down into the boat. "And you are truly Sabo's brother."

Ace nodded. "Yeah.... I haven't seen him in a long time, so it's a little weird to see him all grown up. But it's nice to know that he's grown stronger and has good people to watch his back. He's probably gotten you all into boatloads of trouble...I'm sorry about that, by the way."

Karasu stood stoically. "It is no issue. The second is passionate about the cause."

Ace nodded, then swung his feet over so they were inside the boat. "Yeah. I hate to admit it, but I think it fits him better than being a pirate."

The crow man nodded. "Indeed."

"So...." Ace asked, leaning against the boat railings. "How is it that you can see me? It's honestly strange having someone to talk to here."

His first real conversation with a living person - if his talk with Koala got him excited, this sure did the trick.

"Like ravens, crows can be symbolic for many things," Karasu explained. Some revolutionaries walking by gave him a strange look, but didn't comment. Karasu must look as if he was talking to himself, since no one else could see Ace. "Dreams, luck, witchcraft, and even death."

"So your Devil Fruit gives you the ability to see the dead?" Ace surmised. "That's pretty awesome. Do you see other dead people often?"

Karasu shook his head. "Sometimes I see deceased family members."

"Do you talk to them?" Ace asked.

"You are the first."

"Really?" Ace blinked. Karasu hadn't been curious at all?

"It would be rude to interrupt the business of a dead man," Karasu answered Ace's unasked question.

Ace nodded, smiling. Sabo had surrounded himself with good - albeit strange - people. The tall, imposing pale man had a soft side; that, or he was really polite, but still.

Karasu looked downwards, as if he had guessed Ace's thoughts. "Crows are often misunderstood."

Ace sighed. "I feel you there."

His whole life had been a giant misunderstanding.

"Anyway," Ace shook himself out of those thoughts. "Thanks for not telling Sabo I am here."

The beaked man nodded.

"I just..." Ace continued. "I want to tell him myself, that I am here. He deserves to hear it from me."

Karasu looked at him, saying nothing. Finally, after several minutes of quiet - Ace didn't mind - Karasu finally spoke. "I must go and scout."

Ace gestured to the open skies. "Then don't let me stop you. I hope things stay boring out there."

The man gave a brief nod and in a flurry of wings Karasu scattered off in all different directions.

Ace stretched, then decided to go check up on Sabo. He opened the door to a very surprised revolutionary who had apparently just been reaching for the handle.

The man looked around, then shrugged. "Maybe it wasn't....closed all the way?" The man murmured.

Ace slipped into the room and the revolutionary closed the door for him.

The boat was decently sized enough for a quarters for the crew, the captain's quarters, storage, and a dining hall. Very much unlike the Moby Dick, which had at least a multiple storage rooms at a time.

Ace followed his nose - there was a good chance Sabo was in the dining hall. Sure enough, he found Sabo, Koala, and Hack huddled together around Sabo's transponder snail. Koala seemed to be the one doing the work; Hack was giving helpful side comments and Sabo just looked over her shoulder.

A plate of steaming hot food was set on the table: mashed potatoes, gravy, pork, breadsticks.....he really wished he could eat food from the world of the living, but....he couldn't. Interacting with the world was one thing - consuming food was another. He glared at the offending meal. "Rude."

Koala slammed her hands against the table, causing everyone to jump back. "I got it!" She exclaimed, then frowned at Sabo. "No thanks to you."

Hack looked at the snail. "Isn't this a security breach? If any snail could be hacked so easily...."

Koala shook her head. "Don't worry. I think that we can delete messages as well, erasing them from the snail's recordings. Important messages shouldn't be accessible. Plus, they are insanely difficult to get to. I can't believe that I managed to find this one recording!"

Sabo shrugged, not listening, eyes on the snail. "My apologies, but can you play it, please?"

Koala rolled her eyes. "You're only using manners because you want something."

"That's true." Sabo said bluntly, and Koala bonked him on the head.

"Okay, okay, I'm playing it!" Koala announced.

Static sound came from the Den Den Mushi, and Koala's voice came from the speaker exactly how he remembered it. Then he heard his own voice, and watched Sabo as his brother's eyes widened, finishing with Ace's message.

Sabo sat back as if all of his energy went out with that one recording. "No...no way...."

Koala looked at Sabo expectantly. "So it was him? Your brother, Fire Fist Ace?"

Sabo nodded. Ace could see his brother's hand shaking. "How....Do you think it could be a trick of some sort?"

Koala shook her head. "He answered the Den Den Mushi at Dressrosa. You know, when you swore that you didn't lose it?"

"But..." Sabo seemed at a loss for words, for once in his life.

The door opened and a woman poked her head in. "Baltigo is within our sights. We'll be docked in a few moments, General."

Sabo looked at the woman, taking a second to respond. "Oh, yes, thank you."

The woman, sensing Sabo was distracted, closed the door again.

"So what does this mean?" Hack mused. "Is your brother somehow here?"

Koala nodded, taping her chin, staring quizzically at the snail. "What I want to know is if this has happened before. I'll have to do some research on paranormal theories - it could help us make sense of what's going on."

Hack nodded. "I will assist you in this."

"I think I know how to figure that out," Sabo said abruptly. "Koala, get out your transponder snail."

Koala looked at him, then shrugged. "We may as well check."

She dug out her snail and placed it on the table besides Sabo's Den Den Mushi. Sabo took a deep breath. "Ace...if you're here, please...I need to talk to you....and if this is not the ghost of my late brother, I will flay whoever thought to prank me in such a way they will deeply regret it " Sabo's face darkened, staring at the snail.

Ace reached for the snail. He had wanted to talk to Sabo face-to-face first, but if Sabo wanted to confirm Ace's presence, he couldn't blame his brother for that.

However, the snail burst into flames before Ace could even get his hand on it. Sabo opened his mouth in protest, flames flickering on his hands and shoulders. Koala jerked backwards, tossing her cup of water onto the burning snail, and Hack grabbed Sabo's discarded coat and beat at the flames on his brother's shoulders.

Sabo groaned, sitting back. "Damn it."

Koala patted his shoulder, face unreadable. "We can try again later," she said, then peeked out the window. "We've docked at Baltigo. Dragon will be expecting his report."

Sabo sighed, but Ace could see that his brother perked up at the mention of Dragon. "Oh, alright," he said, a smile forming, despite the dark unease in his eyes. "I've got to tell him about Luffy!"

Hack shook his head. "I still can't believe that they are related....they are very different, but apparently share the same trait of destroying governments. Intentional or not."

Sabo smirked. "That's my little brother for you!" He spared one look towards Koala's transponder snail, face tightening. Then swiping his coat, he was out of the room before any of them could even blink.

The two revolutionaries sat in silence for a moment. Then Koala sighed. "My transponder snail...."

Hack regarded the burnt snail with concern. "I suppose Sabo will have to learn control. I wonder how Fire Fist managed it.... Anyhow, did you manage to save all your files from Dressrosa?"

Koala nodded. "Of course. Sabo would be in much more trouble right now if I hadn't."

Hack grimaced. "I can only imagine."

Koala nodded sagely, then faltered. "Do you really think it's Fire Fist? That he may be here....now?"

Hack got to his feet, the Fishman quiet. "We're on the Grand Line," Hack said haltingly. "Many impossible things I have given witness to...I don't know how Fire Fist would be able to be here, on account of a Devil Fruit or if it's just the order of the world, but yes. I think...he is here, in some way, shape, or form."

Koala took in Hack's hypothesis. "I agree. I hope this will help Sabo. Those dreams he keeps having. Maybe, if Fire Fist is truly here, he can help ease that guilt."

"We can only hope," Hack said. "I must get going. Paperwork must get done - I'm sure there are new recruits from the latest debacle that needs to get organized."

The woman held in a snort. "And I have to give Dragon the actual report, after Sabo talks his ear off about Luffy."

The two revolutionaries left the room, and Ace followed as they stepped foot onto Baltigo.

Baltigo was for the most part, a very rocky island. There was no soil, just a large expanse of rock. In the distance, he could see ancient ruins looming. An interesting island, but devoid of action to the ignorant eye.

Koala and Hack entered one of the buildings. It matched the others, besides that it seemed to have been patched up. That was where the revolutionaries made their base.

Walking in, the building seemed empty. But Koala continued onwards, eventually descending underground into the base. There, they were met by a silent room, the occasional murmur. People sat at desks, and some breezed by with stacks of paper.

They all smiled at Koala in greetings but continued on with their work. Revolution waited for no one, he supposed.

"Is Dragon in?" Koala asked.

"Yeah," a revolutionary said. "He's in his office. Sabo's with him now." The revolutionary paused. "Did the mission go well? Our Chief of Staff looked....well, like a blank canvas. It's rather difficult to get a read on him at times."

Koala smiled. Bright. And false. "Our mission was a success. I'd tell you about it, but I am afraid I would have to kill you."

The revolutionary chuckled. "Oh, alright then. I'm sure we'll get the details later. Go on and get that report in to Dragon now."

Koala nodded. "Right."

The woman went deeper into the base, finally knocking on the door. "Dragon?"

"Come in," a deep voice penetrated the door.

Koala pushed it open to find Dragon sitting at his desk, Sabo leaning against one of the chairs. A grin lingered on his brother's face.

Koala arched an eyebrow at Sabo. "Talking Dragon's ear off about Luffy?"

Sabo shrugged, still smiling. "Maybe."

She rolled her eyes. "And the mission report?"

Sabo laughed. "I thought I would leave that to you. You were more involved in the operation anyway, and you're very capable." He winked at her. "Well, I'll be off to get some food!"

"Sabo -" Koala called out with feigned anger. "And he's gone." She took a seat on a chair across from Dragon.

"How was the mission?" Dragon asked, unflappable.

Koala placed Hack's transponder snail on the table, with all the photos transferred into it. "It went well...I know Sabo just talked your ear off about Luffy, but do you want to hear about him?"

"No," Dragon shook his head with a small smile. "The report?"

Koala smiled and began delivering the report to him, but Ace glared at Dragon. Luffy was his _son_. Yet the man didn't seem to care. Ace was willing to bet that Luffy never actually met the man face to face.

Because this man disassociated himself from Luffy, his little brother had been incredibly lonely. So lonely he had gone through months of Ace trying to kill him - as well as torture - so he wouldn't be alone anymore.

Flames sputtered from his shoulders and he clenched his fists. Dragon may claim that he loved Luffy, but he was sure as hell was never there for him.

His thoughts flashed towards _that_ person and Ace gritted his teeth. Spinning on his heel, Ace pushed the door open and slammed it shut. "Damn," he muttered. "Damn it!"

He stormed through the base, towards wherever Sabo was. His body was almost like a vivre card, in the sense that he would always find Sabo through their link.

Good thing too, because the revolutionary base was big, and Ace had no idea where he was going half the time.

He found Sabo in his office, slumped in a chair at his desk. Two transponder snails were stationed on it, ready for use. Ace's chest tightened. Sabo had tried to contact him, but because Ace had wasted too much time being furious at Dragon, he had missed his brother's calls.

Ace shuddered, throat dry. "I really am good for nothing....I just made things worse."

From the slow, lethargic breathing Ace could tell Sabo was asleep. Discarding Ace's disdain for himself, he slung his brother's arm over his shoulder and shuffled over to the bed. He attempted to lay Sabo down gently, but ended up tossing him down.

Ace sat down at his brother's bedside as he had with Luffy. How pathetic was he, only able to watch Sabo, unable to speak with him....

_Ace sat with Rouge on the Moby Dick, the crew's laughter blending like music. It still made his heart_ _twinge_ _every_ _time he saw Thatch and Pops. So much had happened, too much to ignore. But_ _they_ _had forgiven him._

_"So, what kind of stuff_ _would_ _I_ _be able to do if_ _someone_ _ate my Devil Fruit?" Ace asked,_ _partly_ _out of curiosity_ _and_ _partly as a distraction._

_Rouge smiled at him as she often did. Sometimes he thought she could read his mind. "Firstly, you_ _can_ _interact with material objects. Moving things around, talking to people. But," she said knowingly. "You can't eat. Immaterial beings can't eat material objects. It just...doesn't work."_

_Ace pouted. How cruel, especially to those with the_ _name_ _of 'D'._

_"Anyway," Rouge continued. "You can also use your Devil Fruit powers, though not to the extent you once could. After all, it technically wouldn't be_ _your_ _power anymore._ _Though_ _I_ _had_ _heard of special situations...."_

_Ace frowned. "What of the other previous users of the Devil Fruits? Wouldn't they also bear the 'connection'?"_

_Rouge shook her head. "They wouldn't, if they were still around. At some point in time, the_ _dead_ _are given the opportunity to reincarnate, so we aren't here forever. Usually, that happens before the Devil Fruit is eaten_ _multiple_ _times, but if it does_ _I'd_ _reckon the connection between the previous eaters would be broken, since there can_ _only_ _be one connection_ _with a_ _Devil Fruit. Does this_ _make_ _sense?"_

_Ace nodded, frowning. "I think so."_

_Rouge smiled. "Good. Anyways, as a person can see you in the material world, you can also converse in_ _the_ _dreams_ _of the one bearing your Devil Fruit._ "

" _Really?" Ace asked. "How does that work?"_

_"I believe that a living being's dreamworld may be where they_ _go_ _in their afterlife, so with a_ _strong_ _connection_ _it is accessible." Rouge mused. "It is, after all, thought."_

_Ace looked at his mother. Everyone talked about the late pirate king, but his mother was very knowledgable. He wondered_ _what_ _kind of person she had been in life. "How do you know all of this?"_

_She just smiled at him and brushed his hair_ _back_ _. "I have my ways. Now, if I'm not mistaken,_ _I_ _see that Thatch has finished_ _preparing_ _our_ _meal...."_

Ace eyed Sabo. Maybe he could meet Sabo in his dreams. Yet he couldn't help but feel as if it were some sort of intrusion. Ace squared his shoulders. He couldn't let hesitation rule him - it was now or never.

Ace closed his eyes and reached for the thrum of energy between them, their connection. Grabbing it, he pulled, almost as if Sabo was absorbing him somehow.

The air went still, and there was no sound. It was simply...empty. Slowly, he felt the breeze return and he heard sounds of laughter.

Ace opened his eyes and found himself back in the jungles of his childhood. Above him, his old tree fort hung in the trees, and he saw movement.

One, two, three little boys were up there. He recognized tiny Luffy with his oversized strawhat hanging on the back of his neck. He saw gape toothed Sabo with his little napkin accessory. And it took him a minute to recognize himself, cut and bruised, but smiling.

Free.

Ace began climbing up their hidden ladder, carefully pulling himself into the tree house. The three boys were playing pirates. He wondered if Sabo was conscious of what he was dreaming. At least it wasn't Marineford.

The three boys continued playing, and Ace contented himself by watching.

Eventually, the dream shifted. The boys grew up, happy and smiling. Ace didn't miss the fact that Sabo stayed with them this time. They went their separate ways, but time and time again the three brothers met up.

This time around was at Alabasta - Ace knew dreams didn't make sense, but he figured that in the real world it took place after Thatch's death. Ace watched from a nearby rooftop as his duplicate, free from burdens and Teach's betrayal, ran through the streets - his pathway was going to intercept both Sabo and Dream Luffy.

Ace got to his feet, stretching. It was go time. In a blink he appeared in front of his double. One punch, and the double turned to smoke, disappearing.

Ace took a breath, then continued the course. The three brothers all intercepted each other in a tangle.

"Ace!" Dream Luffy laughed. "Sabo, you're here!"

Ace grinned and adjusted his hat. "Of course I am. You think I'd miss welcoming you to the Grand Line?"

Dream Luffy opened his mouth to answer, but Sabo put a hand up, smiling. "A rhetorical question, Luffy. And don't worry - if Ace missed the news, I would've dragged him here myself!"

"Hey!" Ace gaped.

Sabo arched an eyebrow. "You would do the same to me - I'd just be returning the favor."

"I didn't even do anything," Ace protested.

Dream Luffy laughed again. "I'm so glad that you guys are here!" Then, of course, Dream Luffy's stomach grumbled. "I'm hungry...."

Sabo ruffled Dream Luffy's hair. "You know what this means. A Dine 'n Dash."

Ace snapped his fingers. "I know the perfect place!" The same place where he had met Luffy when he was alive, and had also butted heads with Smoker.

"You do?" Sabo asked. "You've been here before?"

Ace crossed his arms. "I am a pirate you know, we travel. Not like you stuffy revolutionaries."

"Hey, we actually go many places," Sabo countered. "I've gone undercover in at least ten different countries, and I only joined up a few years ago!"

A few years ago....Interesting.

"Let's just go already!" Dream Luffy commanded. "I'm hungry."

"Alright, alright," Ace relented. Buildings suddenly blurred by, as if they were walking superhuman speeds, and they were outside the restaurant. Ace took his seat, Sabo in the middle next to Dream Luffy. Ace did a quick mental calculation. "Ten of your biggest meals, please." He smiled at the man behind the counter, who nodded and recorded his request.

Sabo frowned at him. "Ten? That's not nearly enough for all of us."

Ace nodded. "I know. I need to talk to you though, and I figured it would keep Luffy busy for at least a minute or two."

Sabo looked doubtful, and the man behind the counter placed ten steaming meals in front of Dream Luffy. Time sure worked strangely in Sabo's dream world. "Oh? What is it?"

Dream Luffy began his feast and Ace shifted himself so that he was completely facing Sabo. "You weren't wrong before about hearing my voice on the Den Den Mushi."

"What?" Sabo asked, eyebrows furrowed. "Why wouldn't I hear your voice on the Den Den Mushi?"

Ace continued on. "Anyway, I'm really glad you got my Mera Mera no Mi. This would've been strange if it had been anyone else."

Sabo's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about, Ace? I don't have the Mera Mera no Mi....It's yours...."

Ace shook his head. Sabo was still caught up in the dream, not that Ace could blame him. It was worse than the nightmares he had been expecting, because of course it was. Good dreams were always harder to wake up from. "Sabo, I'm dead."

Sabo's face paled and he jerked away from Ace as if he had gotten burned. Which, on most accounts, was impossible. "What."

Ace stood up, wresting away control of Sabo's dream. All the dream people - including Luffy - disappeared. Ace looked down at Sabo, who in turn stared at him. "I'm dead," Ace repeated. "And it's not your fault."

Sabo shuddered once, then blinked. Looking up again, Ace saw that his brother's face was calm and unruffled to the open eye. "This is a dream then."

Ace nodded. "Yeah."

"And you're not real," Sabo concluded.

"What?" Ace objected. "No, I am real. You remember what you were doing before you fell asleep, right?"

Sabo frowned in concentration. "I....was messing with the transponder snails."

"And why were you doing that?" Ace prodded.

Sabo's eyes widened. "I was....Ace!" Sabo's eyes began watering, and threw his arms around Ace. Ace hugged his brother back. "It's really...you?" he heard Sabo's muffled whisper.

Ace nodded. "It's me. It's been way too long, Sabo. We've got some catching up to do."

They let go of each other, Sabo wiping away a few stray tears. "How is this possible? How are you...here?"

"Ghost stuff," Ace shrugged. "My mom could probably explain it to you."

"Your mom..." Sabo's eyes widened. "You met Portgas D. Rouge?"

"Yeah," Ace grinned. "She's cool. A lot more so than -"

"The Pirate King?" Sabo finished hesitantly.

Ace pursed his lips together. "Yeah, that guy."

Sabo laughed, breathless. "Wow. Just, wow. But, you're doing well?" Sabo then winced.

He chuckled. "Yeah...I think I am actually, despite being dead and all. Pops is there, and Thatch....I've got to admit though, I was pretty disappointed that you weren't there to greet me. I thought at least one good thing would come out of me dying." Ace shook his head, waving those thoughts aside. "But, I'm way happier with how things turned out here. After all, you're still alive, and that's more than I could ever even wish for."

Sabo, who had tensed up, relaxed. "I..." Then Sabo's eyes lit up. "Oh! Do you know how much trouble our little brother has gotten himself into?"

Ace smiled. "He beat up that Doflamingo guy, right? I'm not surprised. For such a small guy - and a crybaby - he can cause a crazy amount of trouble."

Sabo grinned right back at him. "By the way....how long have you been _here_ , anyway?"

"I've checked up on you every once and awhile after I found out that you weren't dead," he said. "But because you ate my Devil Fruit, now I can talk to you and interact with the world. A lot more satisfying than watching everything."

Sabo's eyes widened. "While fighting Fujitora...and that Blackbeard pirate...that was you?"

"Why are you so surprised?" Ace asked, grin twitching at his lips. "I haven't had a good fight like that in ages."

Sabo laughed, laughed again, then ran a hand through his hair. "I never thought I could see you like this again."

Ace shrugged. "Neither did I. I'm currently working on a way so we can talk like this in the real world too."

Sabo nodded slowly. "I wonder if there's anything we have to do, or if it's just like practice."

"I can ask my mom," Ace offered. "She seems to know a lot about this kind of thing."

Sabo frowned. Ace noticed that Sabo seemed to be fading out of the dream space. "Sorry, what was that?"

Ace cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "See you in the real world!"

Sabo then winked out of existence, and the setting of the dream melted away to reveal Sabo's glass box. Unlike Ace's glass box when he had first died, there was noise in Sabo's. A flurry of sound, images floated around with no substantial base, and random - and unfamiliar - emotions filled Ace.

Images of the dream town floated around, as well as images of Ace himself. Ace as a child, Ace's Wanted poster, Ace's picture in the newspaper confirming his death, and Ace from their conversation only minutes ago. Other pictures swirled around as well - he saw lots of Luffy. It made him smile, seeing his two living brothers together. It was good to know that the two had talked before Ace had arrived. He also saw images of Dragon, and of Koala.

The sounds he heard as well - names of food echoed in the glass box first, then his name boomed throughout the space, coupled with the word 'here'.

Ace had also figured after the first wave of panic that his feelings were not his own - they were Sabo's. He had felt, all in the span of five minutes, depression, joy, and panic. But most of all, doubt and guilt.

He took a small step back in an attempt to adjust to the overwhelming input of information. "I'm in Sabo's head," Ace deduced.

That's when Ace took it as his cue to leave. It didn't feel right, sifting through his brother's mind. Sabo had his own private thoughts, and it was wrong for Ace to see them. Though Ace did keep two things in mind - that it wouldn't take a few words to ease Sabo's guilt at _not being there for him._ And that Dragon, though he wasn't a father to Luffy, he was to Sabo.

Focusing on the real world, Ace forced himself out of Sabo's head. He appeared right where he had been before he had taken a dive into Sabo's head, next to the bed. That was empty.

The sheets were askew, some of the blankets half on the floor as if Sabo had fallen out of bed. The man in question was frantically writing something down, and Ace peered over his shoulder. Apparently, Sabo was writing down the recent events that occurred inside his mind. Ace rolled his eyes and flicked his brother's head. Which instantly caught on fire.

"Woah!" Sabo yelled, then spun around, probably looking for something with water. Then Sabo stopped, breathing heavily. "Right," Sabo gasped. "I'm fire."

The flames slowly sputtered out, and Ace couldn't resist the urge to laugh. It was funny, after all, when it wasn't himself trying to learn it, or his own stuff in danger of being set on fire.

However, Sabo paused for only a moment. His blond curly hair stuck up in all the angles, making him look like some sort of madman. "Koala!" Sabo exclaimed, then raced out the door.

"Koala, huh?" Ace muttered. "I don't think she'll take too kindly to being woken up."

Nevertheless, Ace followed Sabo, figuring some lighthearted amusement would be good for his soul. Of course, Sabo used absolutely no tact in approaching the situation - as usual. He burst into Koala's living space.

"Koala?" Sabo called.

Ace sighed and lit the lanterns with a small flame. Sabo whipped his head towards the flame, and mouthed Ace's name. Then he called out for Koala again.

A door opened up and Koala blearily stumbled out. "....Sabo?" she asked. "What are you doing in my quarters -"

Sabo seemed to realize the mistake he had made and smiled, hands up in surrender. "I can explain -"

Koala slammed fist on the side of Sabo's head, with just enough force to ache a little, but not to seriously injure. "-At two o'clock in the morning?"

Sabo rubbed his head. Koala, having gotten her vengeance against Sabo, retreated to a table nursing a cup of what smelled like coffee. She didn't offer Sabo one, and he didn't ask. He just sat down, pulling out a third chair as he did so.

Koala tiredly took a sip of her coffee. "What's going on?" She glanced at the third chair, which Ace gratefully slid into. "Are we expecting anyone else?"

Sabo shook his head. "If I'm right, we're all here and accounted for."

Koala frowned. "We're all here and accounted for...?" Her eyes widened. "Could you mean....from the transponder snail earlier? Sabo, how do you know....?"

Sabo toyed with his gloves - unlike Koala, he was still decked out in his day clothing, with included his coat, gloves, and boots. "So, I had a dream. And it started off like all the others. It was good. However, Ace approached me there. He told me things that Ace - in my dreams - wouldn't ever talk about. It just felt so real..."

Koala reached across the table and grabbed Sabo's fidgeting hand. "And I believe you. Weirder things have happened on the Grand Line. But do you have any physical proof?"

Sabo shook his head, eyes still bright with determination. "No, but how else would you explain the transponder snail? Doesn't that account for physical evidence?"

Scooting his chair backwards, it made a loud screeching noise as the legs scraped against the floor. He saw Koala whip her head in his direction. Ace ignored it and rummaged through a cabinet. Finally, he found what he was looking for - paper and a pen.

Taking his prizes back to the table, he scooted his chair in and began writing. When he was finished, he turned the paper towards his two companions.

Sabo eagerly snatched the paper. "' _I am here' ._ See? Ace is really here!"

Koala was still looking towards him and rubbed her eyes, covering a yawn. "That is pretty hard to ignore. You say you saw him in a dream?"

Sabo nodded. "I did."

Koala frowned, bending towards the sheet of paper, reading his words. "Sabo, could you go get two transponder snails? It'll be easier to communicate that way."

Sabo stood up abruptly. "Right."

Koala watched Sabo dash out of her room, and she sighed. "Fire Fist, are you still here?"

Ace took the paper again and wrote, ' _Yes.'_

Koala read his reply, then nodded. "Alright. When Sabo comes back, do you mind if I ask you some questions?" She paused. "And are you able to drink coffee?"

He could feel Koala's eyes on his own as he wrote. He could only imagine how strange it looked, to see a pencil making movements on its own. ' _I don't mind,'_ he answered. ' _But_ _I_ _can't have coffee.'_

Koala nodded and stood up. "Alright. I'm going to get changed into something more appropriate -" she was wearing a simple bathrobe as well as a tank top and long pajama pants. "- and I'll put on some more coffee for Sabo. It's going to be a long day, and I don't think we're going to be going back to sleep."

Koala went into the back room, and Ace meandered over to the small sink and stove. From what Ace could tell, Koala's living quarters consisted of three rooms - a living room/kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Figuring he could make himself useful, Ace got to work.

Ace didn't really like coffee, in all honesty, but some of the Whitebeard pirates did. Since he was used to rising with the sun, he was usually up a good time before the crew and got the coffee started for them. That was the extent of his ability to cook. That, and roasting meat. Everything else burned one way or another.

The door to the bedroom opened and Koala stepped out, now garbed in her day clothes. "Oh," she said, noticing the active stove. "You didn't have to start that for me. But....thank you."

When the coffee was done, Ace took Koala's cup and poured some in, then took another cup and filled it. He put it at Sabo's spot.

Speaking of Sabo, the man in question actually knocked before he came in. He didn't wait for a response, but it was substantially better than barging in. He was carrying two transponder snails, as well as his own personal notebook.

Sabo dumped his belongings on the table and slid into his chair, notebook at the ready. Koala positioned one transponder snail in front of herself and one in front of Ace. "I am going to ask you some questions," Koala began. "Please try to answer in the most clear way possible so we can understand better."

Ace picked up the speaker and dialed the number to the other Den Den Mushi. It rang, and Koala picked it up. Her expression was schooled, but he could tell she was a little freaked out.

"Can do," Ace said. "Fire away."

Sabo's hand twitched, and Koala hesitated a moment. Then she began.

First she asked how long he had been there. How long he was able to stay (he wasn't sure). How was he able to speak through the Den Den Mushi. How he was able to communicate through dreams. If he would be able to appear visibly. If anyone else could see him (they seemed shocked when he had mentioned Karasu). How his own Devil Fruit powers fared and how it would affect Sabo.

Ace also explained the logic behind the afterlife as well as the 'connections'. Sabo wrote down everything, word for word.

"Remember," Ace warned. "It's the Devil Fruit that allows me to talk to you like this. If you fall into the ocean or touch sea-prism stone, there is a good chance that I'll get sent back to the afterlife."

They continued on, and countless pages of Sabo's notebook were filled. Ace didn't realize how much time had passed until Sabo's stomach growled. He may not be a 'D', but he had the appetite of one.

Sabo grinned, not a hint of bashfullness. "I guess I am hungry."

Koala glanced at her wrist watch and looked back at Sabo. "It's nearly lunchtime."

"Really?" Sabo asked with raised brows. "And we didn't have any breakfast?"

Ace felt only a little sorry for keeping his brother.

"What I'm surprised about it that no one came to fetch us." Koala said.

Sabo shrugged. "Dragon probably wanted us to get some rest after the mission...not that that's what we did."

Koala sighed. "Well, we should probably take a break and report to Dragon what we learned. Hack also had said yesterday that he was going to see if he could dig up anything supernatural related - I will see if he found out anything."

"I'll take Dragon and you take Hack," Sabo offered. "We can meet up for lunch after."

Koala raised an eyebrow. "You? Delivering a report? The world must be coming to an end."

Sabo just laughed. "So Ace, what'll you be doing? You must be bored from being cooped up here."

"Eh," Ace shrugged, though they couldn't see it. "It wasn't too bad. I might take a look around, get some fresh air."

Koala nodded and stood up. "Okay. Let's meet up here again in an hour, then decide what to do then."

Koala swiftly left, and Ace wondered at her level of trust to leave him and Sabo alone in her room.

Sabo flipped his notebook shut and smiled in Ace's direction. "Now don't go causing trouble. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Ace smirked. "But you're the one who's nothing but trouble."

"Who, me?" Sabo asked innocently. Shaking his head, he said, "I'll see you in an hour."

Yet he didn't move. Ace sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Listen....I don't blame you for what happened. I know that you had amnesia, so you couldn't do anything about Marineford or any of that. You don't have to tell me about it now, but someday....I want to hear it all from you. Okay?"

Sabo smiled, an easy and perfected move. But his eyes were bright with unshed tears. "O....okay."

Ace poked Sabo's shoulder, which then emitted a small flame. "Come on now, don't be a crybaby like Luffy. Live with no regrets."

Ace put down the receiver and began to walk out of the room. Before he left, he heard Sabo whisper, "No more regrets."

Wandering around the base, Ace found himself drawn outside. The secretive underground base thing wasn't really his style, but the ocean? It called to him just as it had since day one.

The shores were rocky, so he wasn't able to dig his toes into the sand or anything, but the water was still cool to the touch. Now that he was dead, Ace didn't have to worry about drowning anymore, though he was still careful - he didn't want to nullify his and Sabo's connection.

He sighed, sitting down. Maybe with the revolutionaries help, he would be able to become visible. Koala had asked many in depth questions....

Ace squinted at the distance. On the horizon, there looked like there was a ship, sailing straight towards Baltigo.

But that wasn't right. Koala hadn't mentioned that any ships were supposed to be arriving. Ace's eyes narrowed, dread settling in his gut. They had been followed. But how? The revolutionaries had been careful, there was no way that they'd been followed.

A spy, maybe? Then why were these intruders just now taking action? 

A wiggle of movement caught his attention. 

Ace moved closer to the big outcrop of rocks. They were positioned almost perfectly. A good place to hide for an intruder.

Ace peered under the rock and his blood drained from his face. "No...."

Jesus Burgess was crouched underneath, face twisted into an ugly smirk, somehow still alive from Dressrosa. One of Blackbeard's men. So that meant....

Ace hopped down from the rock and glared at the ship sailing unceasingly towards Baltigo. The flag of the ship was visible. One with three skulls and eight bones.

"Teach," Ace growled. "You bastard."

He had to do something, anything. The revolutionaries didn't know about Teach, so he had to do something. But what? He was significantly less powerful than he had been alive, so he couldn't just torch the ship and be done with it.

He couldn't let Blackbeard hurt Sabo, or his friends. Ace would not allow it.

Ace yanked on his connection with Sabo - specifically, the Devil Fruit. In an instant, flames swirled around him, and he almost felt like himself again. Yet the flames, he could already tell, were getting weaker by the second - and he was too. He had to make his move quickly, before it was too late.

Controlling the flames, he shot a massive pillar of it into the sky, a blazing symbol of Whitebeard appearing. "Hiken!" Ace shouted, pouring everything he had into the one blaze.

Ace kept the fire going as long as long as he could, but the fire diminished too soon. He couldn't tell whether or not he had made an impact - the base was as quiet as ever.

"Be safe," Ace gasped, out of breath. "Sabo."

Then Ace disappeared from the material plane of existence, the only evidence of him being there was scorched rock.


	4. Chapter 4

  
**Ace**

One moment he was on the rocky shores of Baltigo, and in another he slammed into the deck of the Moby Dick. He gasped for air like a starving man. The last thing he could remember was a wave of fire surrounding him, and the object of his fury - Teach.

"Ace?" Someone knelt down next to him. Ace payed him no mind - he couldn't stop thinking about his brother. Was Sabo alright? Had he gotten Ace's warning flare? Did he get off the island? Did he - "Water! Someone get some water over here!" the person called out.

Almost instantly a glass of water was held to his lips and took greedy gulps. At the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn't be reacting in that way - a dead man had no thirst. But Ace did. The glass was drained before he knew it.

"Another!" the person ordered.

Ace lay back down, his rocketing heartbeats slowing. He took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face, sighing.

"Ace?" the person asked tentatively. "Are you alright? Where did you go?"

"Sabo." Ace said simply, closing his eyes. He had been able to talk with his brother! Sabo knew he was there....and now Ace was curiously impatient to know what that meant. For them. For the world.

The person murmured a thank you, and Ace figured that another glass of water had arrived. He cracked his eyes open to accept the glass. He registered the hand first, tanned greatly by the sun. Then the big red coat that screamed 'I'm an important person, look at me!'. The big, curved mustache, and Ace locked eyes with Gol D. Roger.

Ace sprang backwards, almost knocking the glass over. "You?" he asked in a strangled voice.

Roger set the glass down on the ground. He looked oddly nervous, which was a strange look on the man. Ace couldn't imagine anything making him nervous. "When you got here, I had sworn to myself to give you room. I knew that you would hate me - and you have every right to. I was the reason that you felt so unloved. I was the reason you died. Nothing can change that, no matter how sorry I may be."

Roger paused, as if expecting Ace to get up and run. Surprising himself, he stayed. Whether or not he was frozen by the shock, he did not know.

As if encouraged by Ace's lack of action, Roger continued. "But today, when you disappeared out of the blue like that -" Roger cut himself off. Ace noticed his hands were clenched. "I realized that I would like to play a bigger role in your life."

Ace couldn't help himself from snorting. He was dead. This was no kind of life.

Roger winced at that, but Ace felt no pleasure in it. He had long since found that antagonizing Roger felt hollow. "If you would allow me to," Roger swallowed, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Could I.....get to know you better?"

Ace stared at Roger. A man who he had resented and hated and didn't give it a second thought. He briefly wondered if the world would think of him the same way. Probably. Ace thought back to Monkey D. Dragon, the revolutionary leader as well as Luffy's biological dad, and Ace's earlier anger at him. Ace looked away. "Fine."

The look on Roger's face was largely worth saying yes to. It was the picture of pure, unbridled shock. "Really?"

Ace rolled his eyes. "I said yes, old man - don't make me repeat it. But Pops is still my dad, got it?"

A deep, rolling laughter emerged from Roger. "Alright, Ace. Newgate is a good man. I'm glad you chose him."

Ace's face warmed but before he could say anything he saw Thatch and Rouge hurrying towards him. Pops was behind them, but was walking at a slow and relaxed pace. A twinkle in his eyes...

"What the hell Ace?" Thatch exclaimed. "You disappeared out of nowhere! You dropped the plate!"

"You can think up a new one," Ace supplied.

Thatch put his hands to his head as if he were about to tear his hair out with sheer frustration. "That's not the point and you know it."

Rouge knelt down next to Roger and reached over, smoothing Ace's hair. "Are you alright, dear? You vanished so suddenly. Your father and I were worried."

Rouge was the only one he let refer to Roger as his father.

Ace smiled at Rouge to ease her worry - he never wanted to make her worry. "Don't worry, I was in good hands."

"My son," Pops' rumbling voice caught his attention. "Tell me, what trouble did you cause in the world of the living?"

A smile stretched on Ace's face and he began at the beginning, from when he had appeared in Dressrosa. He explained that Sabo got his Devil Fruit, how Karasu had been able to see him, and how he had been able to communicate through a Den Den Mushi. He also hesitantly revealed his excursion into a Sabo's dreams and mind.

"It was just so personal," Ace said, still wrapping his mind around it. "I don't know what would've happened if I had stayed there any longer. I don't want to know."

Rouge nodded. "One of the many side-affects, or abilities, one may receive from having a living being possess your Devil Fruit. It's as if you share a piece of your soul. I'd be willing to bet that in extreme circumstances you may be able to possess your brother, but the consequences would be great."

With that warning, Ace finished his tale. How Blackbeard appeared, and Ace used more of the Mera Mera no Mi than he had thought possible. And then dropping back in on the Moby Dick, feeling like crap.

Rouge had moved while he spoke so that she sat next to him, and had been rubbing his tense shoulders. Roger had shifted himself as well, like he could fit in with Rouge like a puzzle piece. _They were good together_ , he realized. 

"I am sorry, my sons." Pops said, looking down at him, as well as Thatch. Thatch sat across from Ace. He was smiling, but his knuckles were white and his face pale. Thatch - bright, cheerful Thatch - was terrified, and Ace knew why. "I have kept a piece of information quiet that I should've shared with you."

Thatch stayed silent, so Ace spoke for the both of them as he had a sneaking suspicion. "What do you mean, Pops?" 

Pops sighed, then sat down cross-legged with the rest of them. It was strange, to see his father figure sitting with them like that - usually, he was stationed in his chair so he could overlook all his children. Now they were on equal ground. "Just as you, Ace, were summoned after your brother ate your Devil Fruit, I was as well, moments after my death."

Thatch whipped his head around, eyes wide. They had told Thatch what had happened at the war, and by Thatch's horrified expression he could see where Pops was going. "No, Pops......"

Pops nodded sullenly. "I was summoned by that brat. By Teach."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Edward Newgate (A.K.A. Pops, Whitebeard)**

He had seen an age rise and fall. Edward had opportunities of life-times, gaining great notoriety and the title of Emperor. Mountains of treasure and many islands under his command and protection. 

All of that, yet his pride and joy was his children. He could remember every moment with them, from when he first picked them up to when they were full grown and having adventures of their own. From Marco, to Thatch, and Vista, Whitey Bay, Squard, Haruta, Ace, and so many more....He loved every single one of them.

There was only one exception to this - those that killed a member of the family in cold blood was to be shown no remorse. One such disowned son was Marshall D. Teach. Or, unfortunately, the brat he was glaring at the current moment.

Teach was smirking proudly, his crew of murderers and thieves all lined up as if the brats were part of some show. 

_My son's execution is no show. BEGONE._

He wanted to shout it, but already knew there was no point to it. Not yet. Edward's own lifeless body lay on the rubble, but he had no eyes for that. He gazed upon the shocked faces of his sons and daughters, scattered around the battlefield, looking on at the scene Teach had caused. He gazed at the burned body of Ace, and his chest twinged.

_I'm sorry that you had to go through so much._

He had lots of things he wanted to say, but he did not believe on wasting words on deaf ears.

(Not that his children were at fault, of course.)

What truly worried him was how Teach possessed two Devil Fruits at once. Part of him figured it was the 'D' bloodline. He'd given witness to many amazing things born from those of that name. What was one more?

He knew his children would not let it slide, especially Marco. Having the role of a captain thrust upon him so quickly - he ought've prepared them more for his death. He knew that his shoes may be too big to fill, that Marco was not ready to present himself as Edward had - as a father.

They would seek retribution.

They would fail, and his children would be once more hurt.

The red-haired brat showed up not moments later, saving some pink haired scrawny brat from the same fate as Ace. Edward watched as Jinbei took the Straw Hat brat to a yellow submarine that had conveniently arrived, and watched as his children escaped onto any last available ship be it one of the Captain's ships or the red-haired brat's ship. 

He watched as the marines backed off, allowing the red-haired brat to take both Ace's body and his own for burial.

_Thank you. Shanks._

Blackbeard had also left, and Edward felt a tug; either to follow the bastard that killed his son, or to return to the place where he had only been for a few seconds before being pulled back to the war.

He had no desire to watch that brat Teach any longer, so Edward let go of the war that had killed him as well as so many of his children.

_I leave the new generation....to you._

The next moment he opened his eyes, he saw his sons, one hesitant and one smiling. Ace and Thatch. Things weren't alright. But they were together, as a family, reunited. His greatest treasures.


	5. Chapter 5

  
**Sabo  
**

Things were going so well, he knew something had to be wrong.

He had spent all morning with two of his four favorite people - one of which was currently dead. It shouldn't have been possible, yet it was.

Which was why he never applied the term impossible to the Grand Line. Koala always said that the Grand Line was _not_ an excuse for crazy things happening - or making them happen, but Sabo preferred to agree to disagree. It had a chaotic energy that Sabo felt right at home with.

A slow grin spread across his face as he maneuvered his way through the desks of revolutionaries. They were recording information on government officials, where who would be and when - as well as personal details for blackmail if needed. Really, it was all very useful.

He knocked on Dragon's door, and waited a second, then invited himself in. Dragon was seated at his desk, rummaging through paperwork as was as blueprints. The revolutionary army was going to make their move soon, and Sabo couldn't wait until then.

Dragon looked up as Sabo slid into the seat across from him. "Did you rest well?"

Sabo grinned. "Slept like a rock."

They both knew it wasn't true, but what were revolutionaries but experienced liars?

Dragon set his pen down. "Did something happen?"

Sabo set his journal down on the desk. Ever since he was little, he had wanted to write a book about his adventures on the ocean. At the time, he had thought that would involve him being a pirate with his two brothers, but that just wasn't where he ended up. Nevertheless, the revolutionary army was the right place for him. 

And of course, he'd still document Luffy's adventures, and he had spoken with Marco about Ace when he had gone to visit his grave. Now he'd be able to ask his brother himself about his adventures.

"What if I told you..." Sabo began. "That ghosts are real?"

He explained it all to Dragon. How in Dressrosa marines had fallen without assistance - that he could see, anyway - and how Koala had received the strange call through his transponder snail. He even explained his dreams to Dragon. Only two people knew of those dreams - Koala and Dragon. Neither thought he was crazy, or even pitied him. They only supported him. He then told Dragon of all their discoveries since he had woken up Koala. 

Dragon had listened quietly, and had flipped through specific pages of the journal at Sabo's direction. He never delivered reports, but when he wanted to he could take damn good notes.

"Is Fire Fist with us now?" Dragon asked.

Sabo shook his head. "He wanted to go get some fresh air. Ace never could sit -"

All at once, the world started spinning. If he hadn't been sitting he probably would've fallen over. For one horrible moment, he was reminded of when he had seen the newspaper detailing Ace's death. Was he having some sort of relapse? 

Sabo stumbled to his feet. Dragon had risen from his chair, usually stern features fixed in concern. He scrambled towards the door. "Ace," Sabo wheezed. It felt as if he had been sucker punched by Koala. "Something's happening....with Ace."

Dragon had moved in front of the desk and helped steady Sabo. Then the door slammed open. One of the revolutionaries was standing in the doorway, huffing. "Fire!" the woman panted. "Fire on the beach!"

Dragon's brows furrowed. "A fire?"

Sabo righted himself slightly. He still felt breathless, but not like he had been run over by a train. "It's Ace. Something's wrong."

The revolutionary nodded, her face pale. "There's also a ship heading straight towards us. It's unscheduled."

Dragon tensed. "What are the sails?"

The revolutionary paled. "Blackbeard, sir."

 _Damn._ Blackbeard, of all the people. He thought back to Jesus Burgess. That bastard must have stowed away in their ship somewhere. Sabo had thought him dead, burned to a crisp - but death was too good for him.

"What are your orders, sir?"

Dragon didn't hesitate. "Get everyone to the opposite side of the island, with all of our information. We must not let any of it fall into enemy hands. Set sail immediately to Momorio Island, and someone call Karasu. He will be somewhere in the area, and he can assist in escape. Our main objective is to escape, not to engage. Understand?"

The last part was directed at Sabo. He gritted his teeth but nodded. After Ace's death, he had resolved to not blame Blackbeard. It had been Ace's decision to go after Blackbeard, and it wasn't like Blackbeard was the one who actually killed Ace. However, seeing Burgess at Dressrosa made Sabo realize - he didn't give a single damn if Blackbeard was involved or not with Ace's actual death. Sabo still hated the man who had targeted both his brothers.

"I understand." Sabo said reluctantly. The mission came first. The revolutionary army was to strike soon, and Blackbeard was not allowed to mess it up. It was too important.

Sabo righted himself and dashed from the room. He had to get to Koala and make sure that she knew of the situation; then he'd stop by his own quarters and collect his papers - he was the second in command, after all, and had important papers there. And if he had too....he was open for causing distractions.

Suddenly, the building shook, and the wall exploded. He was thrown against the wall, and his ears were ringing. Dust hovered everywhere, and somewhere someone was screaming. He was pinned by a rock, but strangely he felt no pain. Unconsciously he phased through it. _Oh yeah_ , he realized dimly. _I'm fire._

Sabo picked his way through to the hole in the wall. Peering through it he could see clearly the sails of Blackbeard's ship. It had arrived at the port, and Sabo grimaced. Blackbeard not only had the power to control darkness, but Whitebeard's power of earthquakes. 

"Sabo!" a familiar voice called. "Sabo!" 

Sabo turned and saw Koala hurrying towards him, arms full of papers. She was tense and guarded, scuffs on her gloves evident - she must've punched through the wreckage. Sabo met her halfway. "Are you alright?"

Koala nodded. "We got the news through the Den Den Mushi. Hack is with the trainees evacuating."

"Why aren't you with them?" Sabo asked.

Koala rolled her eyes, the tension somehow leaving. "I couldn't leave you here alone to cause trouble, now could I? I already stopped by your quarters and grabbed your things."

He could hear more explosions and tensed. He wanted to go help the other revolutionaries, but he couldn't just leave Koala. "Did you grab -"

Koala interrupted him and produced his hat. "Yes, I got it." He bent his head towards her, and she placed his hat on his head. "Now come on," she said. "We can't dawdle."

"Right!"

They both dashed onward towards the revolutionary stations. Sabo, if hallways were blocked, he blew them up. Koala organized the revolutionaries and the most important information to the least. If they were not able to take the information, then Koala used Sabo as her own personal fire to destroy it.

So far they had not encountered the enemy, bur he knew it was only a matter of time. They had experienced multiple quakes, but he hadn't felt many by that point. So that meant that Blackbeard's forces were on the island. 

Sabo and Koala ushered the remaining revolutionaries through to evacuate. A thought occurred to Sabo. "What about the weapons from Dressrosa?" he asked Koala.

Koala's face was tight. "I asked Dragon. He said he would take care of it."

Sabo froze. In no way did he doubt Dragon - he was the most powerful man Sabo knew, and was also Luffy's father. But alone? The enemy was likely already inside the building. Dragon would be outnumbered, against a man who had at least the strength of Whitebeard.

"I'm going," Sabo said, turning away from the exit, the harbor with their boats. "You go with them, Koala."

Koala was silent, and Sabo didn't look back at her. "Fine," she said eventually. "You always end up getting your way anyway. Just come back, alright? Or I swear to you I will find your ghost, and I will find a way to kick your spiritual ass."

Sabo smiled. "I'll hold you to that."

Sabo ran through the rubble of the revolutionary fortress, pipe in hand. Through the cracks and holes in the walls, he could see the clouds darken and churn. The wind whistled and rain splattered against his face. Dragon was getting started.

The weapons from Dressrosa, to his knowledge, were being kept in one of the storage rooms. (He wasn't entirely sure - Koala had handled it....oh, well.)

Sabo skidded to a stop, tilting his hat at the man in front of him who had stepped out from behind a corner. "How kind of you all to drop in," he said dryly. "If you had given us notice, we may have gotten some tea ready."

A sneer crawled onto the other man's face - Shiryu of the Blackbeard Pirates, former warden of Impel Down. He still wore his marine uniform, and a huge sword - a nodachi - hung from his hip. "We don't do formalities, _Chief of Staff._ "

Sabo pointed his pipe at Shiryu. "Damn it, that's supposed to be confidential."

Pushing off the ground, Sabo launched himself at Shiryu. He swung his pipe towards the other man's head, but Shiryu blocked - as he expected. Twisting his body, Sabo this time swung with his leg, coated with Haki. Making an impact, it only pushed Shiryu back a few feet. 

He ran forward to attack, but Sabo watched with disbelief as Shiryu just....faded away. Not stopping, Sabo sent a blast of fire in the direction Shiryu had just been in. He heard a grunt, and then Sabo moved just in time - the nodachi only just grazed his arm. 

He heard a slow laugh that seemed to echo through the destroyed corridor. "My blade thirsts for blood," Shiryu said. "Trash like you should just die before it."

Sabo adjusted his hold on his pipe, coating the entire thing with Haki. "I hate to disappoint, but I can't die today."

Using his Observation Haki, he reached outwards. He had to sense the enemy. Invisibility, after all, was a crappy power when one had Haki. Fashioning his hands to resemble a dragon's claw, he slammed it into the ground which then began to splinter. The ground groaned, then cracked apart completely.

Of course, it wouldn't kill Shiryu. Probably wouldn't even hurt him too badly. But it would put him off balance, and that was all Sabo needed.

Once more, he felt the air move with the swing of the nodachi, and Sabo didn't dodge. Instead, he caught it with his Dragon Claw.

"You trash...." he heard Shiryu growl.

Sabo just smirked and applied pressure. The blade shattered and Sabo swung himself forward through the shards. With a flaming fist he engulfed the invisible man in an inferno. Twirling his pipe around, Sabo continued onward. He had no business with corrupt small fries who picked on the weak, and thought they were all the better because of it.

Sabo looked over his shoulder. He could see the smoking body of Shiryu fade back into sight. "I may be trash," he said coldly. "But what does that make you, I wonder?"

Now that Sabo had utterly wrecked Shiryu - honestly, what were they thinking, coming to attack them; Sabo had beaten one of their strongest (Jesus Burgess) in a minute flat - he looked back out at the sky. The storm had only gotten worse.

Sabo ran faster, finally - finally - bursting into the room that housed the weapons. And it was truly a sight to behold. 

The roof was completely gone. There was a group of ten or so revolutionaries packing up weapons, shouting at each other to be heard over the wind. Dragon was no where to be seen. 

"Where's Dragon!" Sabo shouted, hair plastered to his face and water dripping into his eyes. 

The revolutionary shouted something back at him and pointed outside. Sabo jumped up onto the top of the wall, trying to see through the rain. But alas; only the darkness of the storm was what he could decipher.

With a growl, he activated his Observation Haki again. He was rather proficient in it, but still - he would rather see this fight. A fight with everything on the line.

From what Sabo could tell, Teach was out there with Dragon. Teach was going all out, and by the wind and rain, Dragon wasn't pulling any stops either. But Dragon also wasn't going on the offensive - it was just enough so Teach would be occupied with him.

He sighed angrily. There was no way he could help in this fight. He had known that coming in. Rain really wasn't a great combo for fire. He would likely just distract Dragon. But he just couldn't sit by as the man that was basically his father face Blackbeard, a man who had already had a hand in taking the life of his brother.

So Sabo was there. Just in case. He would not let another loved one die because of his absence. Never again.

Hopping off the wall, Sabo strode to the other revolutionaries. "How can I help?" he shouted.

So he quickly assisted in the organization of the weapons. Occasionally, there was a clash of thunder, and he may have heard Blackbeard's infamous laugh (every time he heard it, he had to resist lighting up in flame). He also kept at it with his Observation Haki, keeping an eye on Dragon's condition.

Looking up, he smiled grimly. "Karasu!" he shouted. "Down here!"

The murder of crows swooped downwards, and Sabo wasted no time and neither did the revolutionaries. Taking their cue, each one caught a crow as it flew down and took to the skies. Sabo hovered in the air, the crow somehow being able to keep balance in the turbulent winds. Sabo credited it to Dragon's ridiculously awesome control over his Devil Fruit.

The winds, while already tough, became like a hard and unbreakable wall. Out of the darkness came Dragon, also seated upon a crow. "Let's go," Dragon ordered. Despite the wind Sabo could hear the man perfectly fine. "The weather shall keep him occupied."

Sabo spared one last look at the darkness, where he knew Marshall D. Teach was. Sabo wasn't strong enough to fight him now. But some day, he'd like to have the pleasure of seeing that bastard fall, by his hand or another.

It was a promise.


	6. Chapter 6

  
**Ace**

The water was nice and cool as he sank into it. He had at first felt strange, being able to swim again when he had died. After all, water couldn't kill him if he was already dead.

The _Moby Dick_ was docked at an island one of the crew had fabricated - they liked to amuse each other by creating random islands, leaving the others to explore it. In some, gravity was non-existent. In others, the islands were made of mirrors - that was like a very strange and complicated funhouse.

This one seemed relatively normal. He had thought he had seen a rabbit hop by, dressed in a waistcoat and holding a pocket watch - it was rambling something about time....

Anyhow, Ace had decided to just sink into the water at the beach. He couldn't stop thinking about Sabo - and Teach. Ace wanted to go back to the world of the living, but for some reason it was as if he was being blocked from it, unable to go to his brother.

Rouge had said that it was an inevitable consequence of using too much power from the Mera Mera no Mi, but it just left Ace impatient. He didn't want to spoil the crew's mood, so he had went off on his own.

"Hey!" Ace turned around - it was Thatch, who had splashed into the ocean making his way to Ace. Thatch grinned at him as he slowed to a stop next to Ace. "You looked so lonely out here I just had to come join you.'

Ace rolled his eyes. "I wasn't lonely," but he was smiling.

"Sure, sure," Thatch assured him. "Didn't want to explore? I've got to say, it looks pretty interesting. I'm sure I just saw someone grow like, ten feet by eating a cake. Hey, maybe if we eat one of those we'll be as tall as the other members of the crew."

The other members _were_ rather tall. Besides Haruta (who still lived), just about everyone was nine feet tall at least. "I wonder what they all ate when they were alive," Ace mused.

Thatch raised his hands in defense. "Don't look at me! I may be the cook, but they were giants before they joined up."

Ace chuckled. "Okay, whatever you say."

They both stayed quiet, Thatch sinking down so just his eyes were above the water. Ace eyed him. After he had returned, Thatch had been awfully quiet. He felt the prime cause was Teach.

And after they both realized that Pops had a connection to that bastard.....

"What do you think...." Ace started, hesitantly. "About Pops, and, you know....Teach."

Thatch's eyes darkened, but he rose above the water just enough to speak. "It just gives me more reasons to hate him. It's like he's trying to take everything we care about away from us....I just hope your brother is alright."

Ace nodded. "I gave them a warning, but beyond that, I have no clue what they did with it."

Thatch frowned. "From what Pops said, it seemed as if not many people were hurt. Teach was fighting Dragon, so that at least kept him busy."

Pops, after he revealed his connection to Teach, had offered to go to the world of the living to see if Sabo was well. Ace had protested, of course - Pops didn't need to do that for him. But Pops went anyway.

When Pops had come back, he revealed that the entire island of Baltigo was destroyed, but during the fight itself, Teach got a hold of none of the revolutionaries. Apparently, Teach had been preoccupied with Dragon, likely so everyone else could escape. Teach had once more been unable to harm his brothers. Ace just hoped that his brothers never had to face Teach, but the paths the two chose were not easy ones.

Ace submerged himself, reaching out to the connection between himself and Sabo. He did it every once and a while, just to check if the way was open to him again. Inhaling, he poked his head up above the sea water, sputtering.

Thatch blinked at Ace. "You good there?"

Ace spat out sea water, but grinned all the same. "The way is open to me. Can you tell Pops and the others where I've gone?"

Thatch sighed, a smile forming on his face. "Alright, fine. But you owe me though."

He laughed. "Sure thing!"

Ace pulled on the connection, and all at once he was in the world of the living. The first thing he registered was pink - a lot of it. The trees were pink. The ground was pink. The sky was pink. Why would Sabo be...here?

Scanning the surroundings, he quickly found Sabo. An array of tents had been set up, as well as an oval table. A few people were seated around it - two of which he found only vaguely familiar. They had been at the war, he knew, and they protected Luffy. That was all he needed to know.

Dragon was there, as well as Koala. Sabo was laying on the ground, reading a newspaper. A group of people - island inhabitants, he presumed - were huddled around Sabo. Rolling his eyes, he maneuvered his way through them and crouched down next to his brother. "What is it that's got you all so happy?" Ace mused, plucking the newspaper, quickly scanning it.

He chuckled. "Luffy's been busy....hard to believe our crybaby little brother is an emperor now. The same rank as Pops."

"Ace....."

Ace looked up, meeting Sabo's eyes. He set down the newspaper, suddenly aware of other stares. From the island inhabitants, and the revolutionaries. The whispers had died down, and the island seemed as quiet as the dead. "Sabo...."

Sabo pulled himself slowly into a sitting position and looked at Ace. Casually, he said, "I can see you."

He blinked at Sabo. His brother's eyes shown, and he was smiling. Lunging towards his brother, Ace pulled Sabo into a hug, ruffling the other's hair. "Well then," Ace said. "I guess that makes things easier."

They pulled apart and Sabo smiled. "I guess it does."

Ace got to his feet and pulled Sabo up. Then he turned towards his audience and bowed. "My apologies for not greeting you properly. My name is Portgas D. Ace, and thank you for taking care of my brother while I could not."

"Ace-boy!" the one with a large afro of purple hair and a leotard exclaimed. "How can this be? I saw you die! Straw-boy was devastated, poor thing."

Ace nodded, hands clenching. He opened his mouth to - say what, he didn't know. But it didn't matter, because Koala cut him off. She had been staring at him, and she had finally moved to confront him. Sticking out her hand, she spoke. "Very nice to meet you face-to-face, Ace. I couldn't call the last meeting of ours proper, so I am glad to finally see Sabo's brother. It's a wonder how you kept him in line when you were younger."

Ace laughed and shook her hand. "Actually, it was the other way around."

Koala whirled towards Sabo, who put his hands up in defense. "Really?"

Ace nodded, still grinning. "I used to pull the three of us into so much trouble....Sabo was, remarkably, the voice of reason back then. But I see he's grown out of that."

"Hey!" Sabo protested.

Koala smiled. "You don't even know the half of it. We have some time before the mission begins, so I'll be sure to share a few stories with you."

"Never-mind," Sabo groaned. "This is a nightmare." His brother ran a hand over his face. He groaned again.

Koala rolled her eyes. "You got you still have that face cramp from smiling too much?"

"Maybe..." Sabo mumbled.

Ace smiled and turned away from Sabo only to be faced by another hand. Ace slowly met Dragon's eyes. "Sabo informed me of the situation," Dragon began. "It is good to meet you. Portgas D. Ace."

Hesitantly, Ace shook the man's hand, if only for Sabo's sake. His brother practically had stars in his eyes, which almost caused Ace to burst out laughing.

Luckily for Ace, a barrage of shouting interrupted his brief encounter with Dragon. More of the island inhabitants entered the cleared out area. Listening closer, he could hear them shouting names.

"Morley, you're here!"

"Karasu!" 

Indeed, Ace could see Karasu. He smiled and gave a wave.

"Belo Betty, I love you!"

"You're so cool, Lindbergh!"

The island inhabitants seemed to be crowding around the four individuals. The four generals of the revolutionary army, usually stationed in each Blue. The fact that they were all gathered in one place spoke volumes - the revolutionaries were preparing for something. After all, the Reverie was coming up, wasn't it....

The group stopped, and the island inhabitants backed off at Belo Betty's stern glare. Her eyes landed on Ace and she took her cigarette out of her mouth, blowing out a long stream of smoke. "What the hell?"

That caught the attention of the other two. The one named Lindbergh stared at Ace, frozen. Then the Mink seemed to come to his senses and as if he had teleported, stood right next to Ace. "You are Portgas D. Ace, correct?"

Ace nodded. "I am."

Lindbergh's eyes glinted. "Very interesting. How is it that you are here, by the way? I shall have to run some tests. I've heard many theories about the paranormal, but I never thought I'd get the chance of studying it. I tried quite a few times but yielded no results. Perhaps now....very interesting...."

Ace blinked and refrained from the desire to step back for a moment. Lindbergh spoke clearly and concisely, but also spoke as fast as Luffy was when he smelled food, which really shouldn't be possible.

Morley loomed over them, peering down at Ace. "Oh, is this your brother, Sabo?" Then Morley frowned slightly, as if confused. "Do you have a crush on me?"

"Uh," Ace paused. "No?"

Morely nodded, as if that cleared everything up. "Oh."

Karasu stepped forward. "How is it that you are able to be seen, Portgas D. Ace?"

Lindbergh whipped his head towards Karasu, stepping away from Ace. "What do you mean, 'how'? And you sound as if you're awfully familiar with Fire Fist here. Have you been holding out on me, Karasu?"

Karasu's gaze landed on Lindbergh. "Because of my Devil Fruit abilities I am able to see ghosts."

"And you didn't bother to say anything?" Lindbergh demanded. "Think of the research!"

"Now, now," Koala intervened. "You four are late enough already. We have to start the meeting and discuss the details of the plan."

Belo Betty slid into an open chair, peering at Koala from over her shades. "Then let's hurry it up. I have things to do."

Dragon nodded and took his position. "I agree. The sooner we outline the plan, the sooner we can prepare. Reverie is in a couple of days, and we need to be prepared."

The others took their seats, Sabo next to Dragon. Koala was next to Sabo. The seats filled up, and Morley took up at least a fourth of the table, seeing as he was a giant. 

Someone nudged his shoulder and Ace turned around. It was an island resident. He smiled sweetly at Ace, offering him a seat. "It's for you, deary."

Ace smiled politely at the resident and took the chair and placed it slightly behind Sabo and Koala - who then noticed and scooted their chairs to make room for him. "Thank you."

Dragon spread out a giant blueprint on the table, and Ace frowned at it. "This," Dragon began. "Is the plan to infiltrate Mariejois."

Dragon outlined the plan and Ace listened intently. Sabo, it seemed, would be one of the four people infiltrating Mariejois during the Reverie. So of course, if Sabo was going so was he. The bare bones of the plan was to take back Bartholomew Kuma, a warlord who was apparently a revolutionary first. Their informants had delivered information that two of the three admirals - at least - would be there.

Going on the excursion was Sabo, Lindbergh, Morley, and Karasu. 

Belo Betty, however, pointed at Ace, frowning. "What about him?"

Lindbergh nodded, and Ace could see his sharp teeth as he smiled. "Yes, yes. Since you're a ghost and whatnot, you're able to turn invisible to the open eye. Right? That would be very useful to gain information. Not just on this mission - but on others as well."

Ace crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. He had no desire to join the revolutionary army, or to get on bad terms with them. He wasn't like Sabo - he was a pirate. "I go were Sabo goes."

"And if that means fighting for the cause? Will you be able to carry out missions?" Belo Betty asked promptly, no ill will behind her question.

Ace arched an eyebrow. "As I said. Where Sabo goes, I go. And if it helps Sabo, then sure. I think your cause is a good one, and I admire you all greatly for it, putting your lives on the line for what you believe in. But I will always - always - put my brothers' lives first, mission second. Because I am not a revolutionary - I am a pirate."

Belo Betty blew out a puff of smoke. "In our line of work, dying is the least we have to worry about. I'm done here."

Belo Betty stood from her chair and stalked off. The table was quiet for a moment, then Dragon stacked his papers neatly and slid them into a folder. "This meeting is adjourned." Dragon then looked at Ace. "If I could have a word with you?"

Sabo murmured something about training at the beach after Ace nodded that it was alright, and walked off with Koala. The other revolutionaries dispersed (Lindbergh reluctantly).

Ace squared his shoulders and prepared himself as he turned toward Dragon. "Yes?" It came off more snappish than he had intended.

"You do not have to partake in missions if you do not want to," Dragon said. "Just because you are 'connected' with Sabo does not mean you have to participate in this cause - or any - that Sabo chooses to support." 

"What?" Ace hadn't been expecting that. 

"The revolutionary army stands for freedom," Dragon continued. "And we would be no better than the World Government if we conscripted you to fight for us. Freedom looks different to everyone, so don't feel as if you must spy for us, or for Sabo, if you do not wish it."

Ace blinked at the man. "So...you don't want me to spy for you, or whatever it is you all wanted me to do?"

Dragon shook his head. "It is not your cause, and you are not my subordinate. Of course, your abilities would be a great asset, but you do not have to use them for us. The others will understand your decision."

"Belo Betty doesn't seem like she'd give up easily," Ace commented. That woman, though he'd only known her in the span of an hour, was very brusque. She was vocal about her opinions - and was rather harsh about them. But Ace found that refreshing. She spoke her mind. In life, they may have been drinking buddies.

Dragon smiled - it was small, but it was there. "No, she does not. But as long as you stand your ground in your belief, she will eventually ease up on you."

Ace nodded, and rubbed the back of his neck. He still wasn't sure how he felt about the man. He'd left Luffy, but helped Sabo. And now he was supporting Ace...?

Suddenly, Dragon sighed. "Earlier....you thanked us for taking care of Sabo. However, I also wanted to thank you - for taking care of my son. For taking care of...Luffy."

Ace's eyes shot right back to Dragon. Part of him wanted to argue that Luffy was not his son. He was raised by Dadan, and Makino, and by Garp - to some extent - and himself. It brought a whole new meaning to it takes a village to raise a kid.

Dragon continued. "You took care of him when I could not. I will not use my life as a revolutionary as an excuse. I should have been there for my son, but instead you were. I entrusted my son to my father, but I know the burden was on you. So thank you."

He stared at the other man, hearing the words but they took a moment to register. Was the most dangerous man on the ocean....thanking him? In his head, he had built up Dragon as some sort of villain, like Roger and Sabo's own parents. 

Yet it was Dragon in a way who had made Ace realize the world wasn't so black and white. Roger was never the villain or a devil. Ace had made him out that way, but he knew now that things weren't so simple. Much of the hate Ace had built up had been in response to being alone, and Roger had been the scapegoat. 

And now Dragon - the man who had caused Luffy's loneliness - was....thanking him? But he supposed he shouldn't blame Dragon. After all, Ace was just as much to blame.

Instead of saying anything on his mind, of course, Ace smiled and nodded. He may not be a revolutionary but he knew how to play a part. "It was no trouble," he said. "But Luffy's grown up now. He doesn't need you - and he doesn't need me. He has his own life now, with no regrets."

Dragon's eyes glinted, as if he knew the whirlwind of emotions Ace was feeling - he was pretty sure he settled on mild gratitude, or at least some sort of peace of mind - and smiled. "And fine men the three of you have become. Now go - Sabo's waiting for you at the beach."

A smile slid onto his face, and Ace left Dragon alone at the oval table. True to his word, he found Sabo on the beach, fire....everywhere. Koala sat on the beach, watching Sabo struggle with control.

The woman looked up at him as he appeared from the tree line. "How long again did it take you to master the Mera Mera no Mi?"

Ace winced, recalling each and every time he had set fire to the _Spadille_. Deuce and Mihar had not been happy with him, those first few months. "You don't want to know."

Koala sighed. "Figures."

"Ace!" Sabo shouted. Despite being surrounded by fire, the other man was grinning. "How'd it go?"

Ace shrugged. "He just wanted to thank me for looking after Luffy, that's all." Ace arched an eyebrow at Sabo. "And how's...that going?"

Sabo laughed. "It was much easier to use back at Dressrosa, but I think that was less because I was trying to control it."

The city had been in ruins, and all the people had already evacuated. It was easy to use because Sabo hadn't needed control at the time.

"Yeah," Ace said. "We're going to have to fix that."

Sabo grinned, his eyes gleaming. "Fifty matches?"

"Maybe. I first want to teach you some of my moves I used back when I was alive, and I also want to try something too." Ace said, stepping forward.

The fire flickered around him, and Ace reached out, one of the tendrils twisting around his outstretched hand. Immediately, the barrage of fire shrank considerably and Sabo studied him, a glint of knowing in his eyes.

Back when they were kids, that look always meant trouble. He wasn't surprised to find that was still true.

"When you did that - when you touched my fire - I felt more...in control of the fire," Sabo said, thinking out loud. "It felt the same back at Dressrosa."

"It's probably because I was previously fire, I guess?" Ace agreed. "But whenever I become fire now, I think it strengthens your control."

"That'll be good in a pinch," Sabo said, but he was frowning. "I still need to learn how to control it myself though. I can't keep relying on you to win my battles for me."

"What?" Ace smirked. "Embarrassed to have your big brother help you out?"

"No!" Sabo vehemently denied. "And - you're only older by a couple of months!"

"But I'm still your big brother," Ace wiggled his eyebrows at Sabo.

Sabo pointed his finger at Ace. "Okay, but _I_ am two centimetres taller!"

Ace sputtered. "That has nothing to do with age!"

Sabo crossed his arms, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "So?"

" _So-_ "

Koala bonked them on their heads. "Enough, the both of you! And I thought just one of you was bad....but you two are terrible!"

Ace smiled sheepishly at Koala, while Sabo didn't look apologetic at all. "My apologies, Koala," Ace said, deciding to play it safe with the woman. While he was currently dead, he had no doubt that she could kick his ass if she wanted to.

The woman nodded. "Good. At least one of you is polite," Koala said, glancing at him, eyes sweeping over his figure. "And doesn't look half bad either," she murmured quietly - but not quietly enough.

Sabo's jaw dropped, and Ace laughed.

"What?" Sabo said. "Did you just -"

"I think she did," Ace said. "See, Sabo, you need to beef up some more - and why are you wearing so many clothes. You know you're fire now, right? You don't need to keep warm with all of those coats -"

"Shut up," Sabo said, adjusting his cravat. "They look good. At least I don't look like I'm overcompensating."

A laugh burst from Koala, who covered her mouth, eyes positively shinning.

Ace cracked his knuckles, then launched himself forwards. "Fifty matches start now!"

Koala sat back down as they duked it out. The fire that had been recalled exploded outwards again as they fought. Throughout the fight, Ace made sure to shout Sabo pointers. After all, control did come with experience!

Though Ace would be lying if he didn't say that he enjoyed handing Sabo's ass to him. (Not that Sabo didn't do the same, of course.)

They continued this for hours, but he didn't want to stop - and neither did Sabo, judging by the grin on his brother's face. But eventually, they staggered to a stop and collapsed on the sand.

"I missed that," Sabo said.

Ace smiled, staring at the starry sky. "Me too."

Koala peered over at them, and Ace blinked at her sudden appearance. She held a glass of water. "I brought water," she said. "Also, you missed dinner Sabo."

Sabo sat up in a flurry of sand, twisting to face Koala, who handed him the glass of water. "What? Please tell me there are leftovers."

Ace smiled, feeling a little guilty - he didn't need to eat, or drink. But Sabo did, so he'd have to remember that.

Koala sighed. "Of course there are leftovers, but it's all cold."

Sabo grinned and snapped his fingers, a flicker of fire appearing. "No problem."

She sighed, but smiled at him. "You got better at fire control."

His brother nodded. "Yeah, it was difficult with this oaf teaching me, but I suppose I managed pretty well." 

"Hey!" Ace protested.

"You're both oafs," Koala said, but she placed Sabo's hat on his head. "But specifically? You're my oaf."

"Even paired against Ace's muscles?" Sabo asked teasingly.

"Yes," Koala said. "In fact, contrary to popular belief on this ocean, well dressed men are better looking. I'm going to go get some shut-eye though, so make sure you go eat soon."

With that, Koala walked away. Ace looked at Sabo. "Damn, I didn't know you had a girlfriend. Though, she is remarkably patient with you..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sabo asked, slightly pushing his shoulder.

And thus, the two wrestled in the sand a bit more, simply enjoying the night, leaving what's to come tomorrow's problem.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ace**

He stood on the Bondola, gazing out at the Red Port. 

"I think he noticed," Ace said, gaining no reaction from all the nobles gathered there. "He moved a bit when I put that note into his pocket."

The nobles continued talking among themselves - but that was alright, since they couldn't hear him anyways. Ace found himself taking a special liking to the mermaid princess; she talked about Luffy like she had met him. Ace wasn't surprised, if Luffy wanted to go somewhere or meet someone, he did. And if that meant royalty, then so be it. 

Which reminded him - that blue haired princess Luffy had traveled with would likely be at the Reverie too. He toyed with the idea of revealing himself to her.

Ace mused the idea out-loud, though he knew his revolutionary brother wouldn't be able to answer him. Standing off the the side, Sabo was dressed in the stolen armor of a Mariejois guard. 

"Eh, maybe later," he shrugged. "I don't want to put your mission in jeopardy."

He heard a faint sigh from underneath the helmet.

Ace looked back out at the open sky, and down at the town. Somewhere down there was his gramps. "I wonder what he'll think about the letter I wrote him...."

At that moment, he heard one of the nobles scream, and Ace saw Morley's face poking out of the Red Wall.

"There was a giant in there!" he noble yelled. "There was a giant in the Red Wall!"

One of the other nobles - Hamburger, or something? - told the noble tiredly that it was impossible.

Ace just laughed. For a bunch of revolutionaries, they sure did know how to pull some pranks on the nobles, regardless if it was on purpose or not.

The noble again made a commotion when a bunch of crows flew right next to the Bondola. Ace waved to Karasu, and the noble called one of the guards - conveniently, Sabo - over to shoot away the birds.

Sabo assured the noble that there was no reason to panic - which was very laughable, which also made him realize that if he wasn't a ghost, he'd be awful at these covert missions. The noble was just too ridiculous and Ace couldn't stop chuckling at him.

The Bondola came to a stop, and Ace followed the royals as they exited the contraption. And while the Neptunian family marveled at the belt (Sabo had informed him how, exactly, it worked, and it made Ace want to be sick - even though he was dead) they elected to walk to Mariejois instead. While they couldn't have known the circumstances towards the belt, he still felt approval towards them.

Of course, they were friends of Pops, so of course they were good people.

Meanwhile, the noble named Stelly - who was the one causing a panic on the Bondola - grated on his nerves.

"Those stupid fish, they probably don't even know that this is the science of the highest minds!" the child-like man boasted. "What barbarians!"

"Can I hit him?" he asked Sabo, who marched along with the other guards. "He's very annoying."

This time, he saw Sabo's shoulders shake.

"Hold on, are you laughing?"

Sabo's shoulders stilled a moment later, but Ace wasn't convinced.

"You were definitely laughing just now!"

Sabo made a minor motion with his right hand, and Ace drifted closer to his brother - it was part of a code they'd made up back when they were younger and hunting for treasure to fill their pirate fund. "I would pay to see you hit him," Sabo murmured. "He's an upstart little brat."

Ace nodded, snorting. But while Sabo seemed to entertain levity about Stelly, Ace could detect a darker undertone. "You know him?"

Sabo was quiet. Then: "Outlook the third adopted him. As a replacement."

Ace narrowed his eyes. "You mean that piece of crap?"

The helmet slightly nodded. "That's the one."

"Damn," he said, wisps of fire curling off his shoulders. "Now I really want to hit him."

"Later," Sabo replied, marching steadily down a narrow road, separating from the rest of the guards if that was what he was meant to do. From behind the street corner and away from any prying eyes, Sabo began to discard his stolen armor. "Right now, we've got some investigating to do."

"Whatever," Ace rolled his eyes and grinned at his brother. "I'm just here to make sure you stay out of trouble."

"I don't know how you ever came to the assumption that I am a trouble-maker," Sabo said innocently. "As I recall it, you were the trouble-maker when we were younger."

"Says the guy that has destroyed entire armies," Ace shot back. "And crushed skulls - I have seen it. Koala has seen it. Hack has seen it. It's undeniable."

"You guys are no fun..." Sabo muttered.

Together, they hurried throughout the city and mad their way into a very big, and architecturally detailed mansion. Sabo snapped quick pictures with his Den Den Mushi with quick and concise precision. Ace kept an eye out, to make sure there were no guards. 

"Guard incoming," Ace warned.

Sabo grinned. "Finally."

"Sabo-"

The guard rounded the corner, and his weapon was up instantly as he saw Sabo. **"** Who the hell are you? What are you doing here? **"**

Sabo didn't waste a moment - he grabbed the end of the spear and yanking it towards himself, Sabo slammed his hand through the chest plate of the armor, and the guard slumped into unconsciousness. 

"You did that on purpose, didn't you." Ace accused Sabo.

"How could I? I'm literally on an undercover mission, and it's against protocol." Sabo defended himself.

Ace grinned. "Leave the next one to me then. You can't have all the fun."

They continued running through the halls, successfully avoiding any guards (except two that Ace took out - he had to even out the score, there was no way he'd let Sabo win) as they hurried through. 

Until, at least, Sabo was spotted again.

"You think it might be the white coat?" Ace asked. "It's very bright. You know, noticeable."

Sabo currently was hanging from the ceiling as the two guards that were chasing them looked out the window. Then Sabo dropped down, causing the two guards to drop motionless to the ground moments after. 

"The whole place is white," Sabo explained. "White marble, white robes - it's perfect for blending in. You're just so unsubtle you don't know the first thing about blending in."

Ace shrugged. "Okay, but what about these guys? We've been leaving bodies just laying around, and someone's bound to notice."

Sabo frowned for a moment. "That's a good point....it could very well compromise our mission. I guess I'll tell Lindbergh, or Karasu, when we meet up and they can take care of it. Or something."

That....didn't sound like the best plan, but they were in a time-crunch, and Ace couldn't really blame Sabo. "Are we going to go meet up with them now?"

Sabo nodded, and they came to a stop at a wall, and Sabo studied it. Ace looked at it too, but couldn't see anything special about it. "Yeah. I just need to find the core..."

Without warning, Sabo slammed his fists into the wall, causing it to break apart. Sabo grinned at Ace. "Now those bodies will be the least of our worries. Also," Sabo smirked. "Three to two - I'm winning."

"Oh, it's on," Ace smiled, and they jumped out of the hole in the wall.

He'd be lying if he said that the commotion didn't draw a bunch of guards, but their child-hood skills of evading authority figures had not worn off - in fact, it had only improved in the time they'd been on the other side of the law. Yet somehow, they made it through completely unscathed. (Ace was now winning in the body-count, though.)

They had arrived in the city of the gods, the Celestial Dragons. And just like they were being welcomed, two Celestial Dragons came lumbering in on top of the warlord Kuma.

Ace noticed instantly when Sabo's hands clenched into fists, and his teeth became clenched. He narrowed his eyes at the two Celestial Dragons, who were making such a mockery of what had once been a strong - and kind, according to Sabo - man.

Then Sabo's hands lit on fire, and began to dash forward. Ace did the same, still unsure of whether or not he should help Sabo beat the crap out of the Celestial Dragons, or stop Sabo from blowing his cover.

Luckily, he did not have to.

A murder of crows swarmed the area, halting Sabo in his tracks, and Ace breathed out a sigh of relief. 

**"** Karasu, **"** Sabo said, muffled by the giant man's coat. 

A hand emerged from the ground, and grabbing onto the two men, pulled them under. Ace sighed, and went underground himself - it was only Morley who had abducted his brother, so they were safe.

Ace came in right as he saw Sabo punching a wall.

 **"** -get mad, Sabo, **"** Morley said as they all rested inside the little cubby the giant had made. **"** Boys scare me. **"**

 **"** It's hard not to get mad, **"** Sabo growled. **"** Our friend is going through hell like that! Our gentle Kuma! **"**

Ace rested against the wall, arms crossed. He couldn't really say anything - he didn't even know Kuma, but the sight of his mistreatment....Ace was right there with Sabo, ready to attack the Celestial Dragons.

They'd already taken so much from Sabo. Ace didn't want them to hurt him anymore, even if it was through one of his friends taken captive.

 **"** It's unforgivable.... **"** Sabo finished, turning away from them.

 **"** Calm down, **"** Karasu said.

 **"** We got you, **"** Lindbergh declared. **"** We all feel the same. We won't leave Kuma like that! **"**

 **"** That's what we came here for.... **"** Karasu said, ever the voice of logic (without Koala present, someone had to hold the brain cell for common sense). "Having said that, even if we set him free, he will never return to his old self."

Sabo flinched, and that was when Ace pushed himself off the wall. He wasn't an observer anymore, and he couldn't just stand by and let his brother carry on, so full of rage. "Hey, you're not alone in this. Even if he can't return to the Kuma you know, we take this one step at a time, got it? I am with you every step of the way."

The tension in Sabo's shoulders were still there, but it had lessened somewhat.

The other commanders continued on, explaining the reasoning behind freeing Kuma - Ace had a feeling it was purely for Sabo's benefit, so his brother would have his mind put at ease that they would definitely help Kuma escape.

But one line from Sabo made Ace's blood run cold.

 **"** Blundering is not an option. It's either success.....or death! **"**

**\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Garp**

He sat at the bar, staring at the tiny piece of paper. He rested his forehead in his palms, trying to keep the water in his eyes at bay. What would the men think, if he burst into tears.....What would they think.....

 _Damn them_ , he thought as tears slipped out anyways. 

He had known that something had been slipped into his coat pocket. He had felt someone brush past him, that morning when he had said goodbye to Princess Shirahoshi. But he couldn't ever had guessed......Wouldn't ever have dreamed.....

At first he had thought that it was a fake. Someone was playing some sort of prank, and he would make certain their punishment was the receiving end of his fists. But the letter, whoever wrote it knew too much.

_Do I deserve to live?_

That question his grandson had asked, that Garp didn't have an answer for. Not one for a child. Garp had told him that he had to discover that for himself, but that hadn't eased the brat's mind at all, causing trouble in the bars over his heritage.

He had many regrets in his life. 

Garp wiped away the tears in his eyes before they could stain the paper. Regardless of Garp's answer to the brat, it looked like he had found his answer.

_"Live your life with no regrets, old man._

_Ace"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this story follows the events of the manga/anime, I can't continue the storyline involving Sabo and the Reverie until we find out what happened at that event. But!! I will still be updating as I want to write for the two films Sabo was in, Gold and Stampede (Stampede actually inspired this fanfiction, from that one scene at the end....), as well as undead antics in the afterlife featuring Roger and Rouge. So stay tuned for those chapters!
> 
> And, as always, thank you for reading! I hope that you have enjoyed this story as of yet!


	8. Film Gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part One of my selected filler until the full Reverie arc is released! A few lines and a majority of the action scenes were taken from the movie, so that specific dialogue isn't mine, of course. Please enjoy!

**Ace**

He skidded backwards, his fists lifted upwards in defense. Thatch grinned, already launching himself forward, fist pulled back and aimed directly at Ace. He let himself drop to the ground, ducking away from the chef's punch.

Grinning, Ace pushed himself up, but Thatch blocked Ace's attack.

"Oh, you'll have to do better than that," Thatch taunted.

"Yeah?" Ace asked, feinting a hit to the left, but then jerked his knee up into Thatch's stomach. "I think I was doing pretty well."

Thatch grunted, but didn't falter as he practically ran himself into Ace, pushing the younger pirates backwards. Dimly, he was aware of the shouting and hooting in the background, a ring of people around them.

Ace dove to the side, hoping his momentum would throw Thatch to the floor as well - and true to Ace's instincts, the man toppled to the floor. But, unfortunately, in the same time Ace took to get himself back to his feet, Thatch was standing as well. He shifted his feet, getting ready to lung forward, when he heard the sound of laughter - a kind and soft laughter. 

He hesitated.

And the next thing he knew, he was sprawled on the floor, Thatch's arm pressed against Ace's neck. The man followed Ace's gaze to the source of the laughter. "Oh, hello there Mrs. Rouge! Looking as beautiful as ever, I see."

His mother, Portgas D. Rouge, navigated her way through the crowd of pirates (who basically parted before her anyways - they loved her almost as much as they loved Pops, and Ace loved that). "I see you boys are having fun," she smiled. "I hope I'm not interrupting?"

The weight of Thatch's arm disappeared from his neck. "No, you're fine! We were just finishing up anyways - I have to go and check up on the guys in the kitchen, you know?"

Thatch's hand appeared in front of it, and Ace clasped it. Pulling him up, Thatch grinned at him. "Good fight today."

Ace shrugged, smiling. "You too."

Thatch patted him on the shoulder, then walked through the dispersing crowd of pirates, raising a hand in farewell.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself," his mother said, bringing his attention back to her. "You didn't have to stop on my account."

Ace, and a couple other pirates, had taken to sparring in their free time. They couldn't go anywhere new, couldn't meet anyone new, but adrenaline could still course through their veins. Each pirate had his or her own way of dealing with their afterlife - fighting was one of his (Thatch's coping methods revolved around cooking - Ace suspected that he only participated in the sparring was for Ace).

"No, it's alright," Ace said. "Thatch really did have to go check on the guys - he's touchy about the 'process' of cooking. I don't think he'd be able to sleep at night if he didn't at least check up on them every once and a while."

Rouge nodded, relenting. "I just returned with Roger - is it okay if we speak, for a moment?"

"Yeah, of course," Ace said, struggling to hide his surprise. Whenever she wanted to talk to him, she just did it. 

Something was up.

His mother led him away from the people on the _Moby Dick_ , but they were still outside. He leaned against the boat railing, and looked down at Rouge, who looked out at the ocean. The sunlight reflecting on her strawberry blond hair made it look radiant - golden. 

"What's up?" he asked.

Rouge looked up at him, nothing betraying her thoughts. He felt a tinge of worry - did she want to speak about Roger, was that why she was hesitating? 

"You should head over to the world of the living soon," Rouge said. "I have a feeling...that something is going to happen."

Ace frowned. "Are Sabo and Luffy in trouble?"

Rouge shrugged, brows furrowed in frustration, which was strange since Rouge rarely become frustrated - she had the patience of a goddess (that was probably why her relationship worked so well with Roger.

That, and apparently according to Pops she had the same insane craving for adventure that Roger did).

"I think they might be....have you ever heard of _Gran Tesoro_?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "I don't think so - what is it?"

"I think it's a casino?" Rouge asked. "I'm not sure - all I know is that it's bad news. And Luffy and Sabo are both headed in that direction."

Ace cursed. "Of course they are, those two can never stay out of trouble."

Rouge put her hand over his. "You should go to them. Besides, this way the three of you might actually be able to talk to each other this time."

He nodded slowly. The only time the three of them had been in the same area at once - recently- had been at Dressrosa, when Ace had first been summoned to the world of the living via his connection with Sabo. At that time, he hadn't quite had a handle on how to appear to others, or even speak. 

But he had one question: "How do you know this?"

Rouge shrugged, turning away from Ace, a small smile playing at her lips. "It's a mother's job to know how her children are doing, no?"

Ace blinked, then grinned. "Right. I'll try to be back in time for dinner, but we'll see. With those two, who knows what's going to happen at this _Gran Tesoro_ place."

"I'll see you soon," his mother said, but Ace was already gone.

He appeared in a small room, a giant map spread out across most of one of the walls. Devices were placed at one of the tables, each spitting out words and reports - most likely from revolutionaries. On the other side of the room, was a hammock that a certain someone was sleeping in.

Ace looked at Koala, who was sitting at the table, eyes wide until she schooled her expression seconds later. "Is this moron not doing his work?" he asked, jerking his thumb at his brother. "I can remedy that for you."

Sabo lifted his brim of his hat from his face with his pointer finger. "Ace," his brother said, looking totally innocent. Or, faking being innocent. "You know I'm doing all the work assigned to me."

"Are you, though?" Ace arched an eyebrow.

"Yes," Sabo insisted. "As a matter of fact, I am."

"Only because I'm here making you," Koala interjected, smirking. "And that our missions recently have been more hands on work."

Sabo shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, work's work."

Koala reached over and swatted Sabo. "Until it becomes paperwork, and then you don't do it."

"Fine, fine," Sabo admitted, not looking a bit sorry. "I'll admit, I do procrastinate, but can you blame me?"

"Yes," Koala deadpanned.

Sabo sighed. "Okay."

"So," Ace cut in. "What's the mission this time?"

Koala turned towards Ace, her playfulness with Sabo dissipating into something more formal. "We were told that one of the revolutionaries, a man named Raise Max, is imprisoned on a boat nearby. And we're going to go get him out, before the World Government comes to take him away."

"What boat is this guy on?" Ace asked, a pit forming in his stomach. 

" _Gran Tesoro_ ," Koala answered him. "A boat that's recognized by the World Government. It's also home to the biggest casino in the world. It's also rumored that the man in charge, Gild Tesoro, moonlights as a sort of bounty hunter."

His mother had been correct - Sabo was going to get involved with _Gran Tesoro_. And Luffy....Ace didn't even need confirmation, Luffy would jump at any whiff of adventure. A place covered in gold would captivate any pirate, so of course Luffy would stop by.

"You know this place?" Sabo asked, eyeing Ace from his position on the hammock. 

Ace sat down, his back to the wall. "My mom warned me about that place. She said it was bad news."

"Your mom?" Sabo asked. "How does she know?"

"I think she goes to check on you guys, from time to time. I don't know, maybe she's able to visit other places as well, and put two and two together?" Ace shrugged. "It doesn't even really matter, since it looks like she's right. This casino place sounds like trouble."

"Yeah," Koala agreed. "It's bad news - they even endorse Celestial Dragons."

A silence fell upon them, each of them thinking back to a time when the Celestial Dragons had made a mess of their lives.

"On the bright side," Sabo said slowly. "I heard that the Celestial Dragons have Lucci around as their bodyguard, or something."

Koala pursed her lips at Sabo. "Don't you cause any unnecessary trouble."

Sabo smirked. "Me? Unnecessary trouble?"

Ace peered out the small window - the moon was in the sky, and the sea was dark. However, in sight was a giant boat, one that emitted light that light up the surrounding water in gold. Smaller boats bobbed around the giant one, including a marine vessel.

He turned back to the two revolutionaries. "So, what's the plan? Luffy's in there, right?"

Koala took a sip out of a nearby mug that gave the aroma of fresh coffee. "Yes. Apparently he's mixed up in some trouble with Tesoro. From what I've heard, he's holding Roronoa Zoro hostage, and will execute him at sunrise."

Ace blinked. "What?"

Sabo swung himself into a sitting position in the hammock, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Luffy's in a bind, but I have to say - I feel sorry for Tesoro. Luffy always gets his way, and when one of his most precious people is in danger....not even a god can stop him."

"Yeah," Ace murmured. He knew far too well the lengths Luffy would go. "I know."

The look in Sabo's eyes softened. "You can go to him, if you want."

"But -"

"No buts," Sabo said firmly. "I know what you're going to say: that you can't face him, or you can't interfere, or whatever. Well, none of that matters - you should go and see him."

"That's not what I was going to say," Ace protested. "What about you?"

Sabo sighed. "You don't need to worry about me, Ace. Just...go and see him, even if you don't talk to Luffy. If you want to do it, then go. I don't want to hold you back."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, I get it....I'll go and see Luffy."

His brother nodded - his face was carefully masked, but Ace could see the glint of triumph in his eyes. Moron always took pride in winning arguments, even if this wasn't necessarily one. "Good. We'll see you later, then."

Ace smiled at the two, then pulled on his fainter connection with Luffy (it was still plenty strong, but compared to Sabo it paled in comparison, courtesy of the Devil Fruit the two shared).

"-get to watch from your special seats," a voice boomed. Ace was in the middle of some sort of arena type place. "As Roronoa Zoro meets his final moment! Now then, good people, give a round of applause for the dead!"

Ace only had a moment to digest everything that was happening - the Strawhats, minus the cyborg and his brother - were all there, glaring at the man who had spoken, caught up in gold. And behind that man was Roronoa Zoro, covered in gold as well. Usually, that would be a pirate's dream come true, but Zoro didn't look too happy.

Luckily, he hadn't made himself visible, so he could actually process what was happening.

"Gold Splash!" the man yelled. "Farewell, Strawhats. Now I win! It's entertainment!"

Gold shot up around the arena as the man raised his arm up, finger pointing at the sky as if he were some kind of hot-shot. Then, as Ace watched, some of the gold formed into two large golden axes and moved with increasing speed towards his brother's first mate.

"Oh, _hell_ no," Ace growled, already in action. He was the closest one able to help, and seeing as the Strawhats were drawing the man's attention, it was the perfect - and rather only time for Ace to make his move.

In a split second, he was in the air, and Ace reached out towards the spinning axes. Grabbing them, he gritted his teeth and hurled them at Zoro - or, an inch above Zoro's head. The swordsman's eyes widened, staring directly at Ace, but then the arena went dark. The golden shine the place had was diminished and shrouded in darkness.

Below, he could heard the man - who he figured was Tesoro - panicking. And rightly so - from the same spouts the gold came rushing out of now came sea water. And since Tesoro was using a Devil Fruit...the Strawhats exploited the man's weakness.

The water began pouring down onto the gold, and Ace watched as it cracked into pieces, releasing the captive Strawhats. And not only water spilled down from the spouts, but also...people? A screaming group of people fell through the air along with the water.

_Oh no...._

A cyborg jumped out of the water, seemingly not concerned with the current events. "Super!" the man called out, making a pose.

Where was Luffy, that moron was bound to be in the middle of this mess somewhere - after all, his connection did lead him here -

"Hey." someone said.

Ace turned, finding himself face to face with the so-called Pirate Hunter. He blinked. "Can you...see me?"

Zoro just stared at him, and Ace sighed. The swordsman probably hadn't seen him, but knew he was there - or, knew someone was there. After all, Zoro knew that the axes would've hit him, so how else to explain that he was still alive than that someone saved him?

Ace sighed, and let himself become visible, certain that no one would notice, considering the main showdown with Tesoro was only just beginning. "Hey, yourself."

Zoro's one eye widened. "You -"

"Yeah," Ace said, resisting the urge to smile bashfully. He might've made peace with his death, but that didn't mean others had. "It's me, and yeah, I'm dead. Say, do you know where Luffy is?"

Okay, perhaps he wasn't being entirely considerate to Zoro's feelings, but Ace just wanted to know where his chaos inducing little brother was.

Zoro's one eye narrowed, the man pulling himself together remarkably fast, and Ace had a moment of pride - Luffy really picked his first mate well. "I don't know, he's likely out there raising hell or somethi-"

As if on cue, a sudden yelling reached the arena, and the last spout went off. "Tesoro!" someone shouted, and Ace looked up.

"Luffy!"

And then....Luffy fell from the sky, bouncing onto the arena platform, yelling every time he hit anything solid.

Ace sighed, part exasperation and part relief. It was a well practiced sigh. "There you are."

Tesoro's shoulders shook, and Ace knew he was getting angry - angry that his plans had failed, all at the hands of Luffy and his crew.

"I don't know how you're here," Zoro suddenly murmured, hand on his sword. "But are you here to join in the fun?"

Ace shrugged. "I'll help out where I can, if that's what you mean. After all, what's a big brother for?"

Zoro smirked. "Good." Then the man raised his voice, and began to tie a black bandana around his head, and Ace sank into the shadows - he couldn't let Luffy see him, his brother needed to be at one hundred percent to fight this bastard. Zoro made no comment on his presence - a good man. "The moment when hope turns to despair, huh? Looks like I'm missing out on that myself, so why don't you tell me how that feels?"

Tesoro was hunched over, and Ace didn't like it. Cornered enemies fought like mad when they had nothing left to lose. "You don't know the meaning of hope...." the man muttered. "The meaning of despair... Don't you dare laugh....Don't you dare laugh....I'm the one with the money now....I decide who gets to laugh!"

Then a multitude of things happened at once - electricity sparked throughout the arena, and the arena itself broke in two. That's when gold rose up from underneath, looming overhead, and the arena erupted into battle.

The gold swamped the arena, quickly covering anything and everything in its path, and Ace couldn't help but be disgusted - what an awful way to die, smothered in gold. Fortunately, the Strawhats were able to avoid it, seeing as how three of their members could fly (or at least launch themselves into the air, like the cyborg. Seeing things like this made Ace wish he were still alive to meet such interesting people).

Ace followed his brother and his crew as they landed in the venue, but Tesoro didn't give them a chance to regroup, a giant golden golem-like creature rising upwards into the sky. 

Tesoro gave another one of his villain monologues, but Luffy...Luffy wasn't having it. In fact, Luffy looked pissed. Ace smiled - maybe, he didn't need to interfere. And he was rather looking forward to seeing how much his brother had grown.

"So me what you've got," Ace murmured. "King of the Pirates."

Luffy launched himself upwards, his skin taking on a rosy shade of pinkish-red, stream streaming from his body. Ace frowned. Had Luffy always been so fast?

Then he watched as Luffy's arm grew, at least twenty times the size Luffy was. And yes, he had seen Luffy fight before - like at....Marineford. But now he could properly appreciate how much Luffy had improved - he wasn't the same snot nosed kid that could even aim straight. 

Luffy's fist took on a shade of grey, almost like cold steel - Armament Haki. Rayleigh had certainly taught Luffy well. Tesoro's fist collided with Luffy's, and Ace watched as somehow, Tesoro's attack pushed Luffy away and out of the arena. By the looks of it, Luffy flew halfway across the casino.

He gritted his teeth - this guy, Tesoro - was stronger than Ace had given him credit for. Luffy would be fine - he knew how to fall, and he knew how to get back on his feet. Ace's job was to make sure no one died.

A low bar, but what else was a ghost going to do?

Turning back to the chaos in the destroy arena, it looked like Zoro was going at it with some giant muscular guy in golden armor. Zoro got a hit in, aimed at the man's head. But unfortunately, the man was still standing - and was....blushing? What luck, to have a masochistic Armament Haki user.

Zoro sprang away from the masochist, swords at the ready. But at the edge of his eye, Ace noticed golden tendrils sneaking towards Zoro. How devious....using the giant golden figure as a distraction from the smaller attacks. Well, Ace had a thing or two to say about that!  
  


Appearing by Zoro, Ace swept his arms through the gold as soon as they had wound around the blades. He wasn't able to use his Devil Fruit to its extremes, yes, but Ace and Sabo had figured out other ways to utilize the fruit.

_"It seems like using fire makes you more tired," Sabo mused as they sat at the beach shore, letting the water lap their feet. "And when you get tired..."_

_"I get sent back," Ace summarized. "But what am I supposed to do, if we get into a fight?"_

_"I don't know," Sabo rolled his eyes. "Use your brute strength? You're not exactly helpless, you know."_

_"I know that, dumbass," Ace swatted at Sabo, who dodged his attack. "You know what I mean - I mean, I'm used to fighting with fire."_

_Sabo nodded, a more serious look entering his eyes. "You're right. From what I heard, you heavily incorporated your fire into your fighting style. That's a big issue, you know - what if you had been caught by sea prism stone? This is why you should've gotten more lessons for your Haki -"_

_"Oh, shut up," Ace said, pretending to be annoyed. "Seriously though..."_

_"What if," Koala intervened. "What if you contained your fire, and only used it's heat?"_

_The two stared at her._

_"What?" she shifted, setting down her notebook. "I don't have a Devil Fruit - is that not how it works?"_

_"No...." Sabo muttered. "It might just work...."_

Ace activated his Devil Fruit, but only so the flame flickered just beneath his skin, and forced the heat to rise in intensity. Both he and Sabo worked so that their fire only increased in heat. He wouldn't have what happened to him with Akainu happen to Sabo.

His arms, coated with the sheen of Armament Haki (Sabo insisted along with Roger that Ace learn to use it), cut through the tendrils of gold, the metal hissing and steam rising from the heated ends. 

Zoro simply nodded. "Thanks," then sliced his swords to the side, and immediately raised them to block the now spinning object that was his opponent. "Go help the others," Zoro gritted his teeth as he engaged in conflict with the muscle man. "I've got this handled."

"Okay," Ace said, making his voice audible. It wouldn't be safe to make himself visible - he didn't want Luffy to see him just yet, but...he still had to communicate, right? "Just a heads up though, gold is really malleable. You should be able to cut through it."

A feral smirk slid right at home onto Zoro's face. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm still the star of this show!" Tesoro's voice came from the gold golem, the giant's fist pulling back. "Let's go!" he shouted, his fist coming down where a few of the Strawhats were - Franky and Nami, he believed.

And look to the left, and he could see Nico Robin and Sanji the cook being cornered by some gremlin looking creature that just couldn't stay still. He frowned - this guy would be a pain to beat. Having Observation Haki would definitely make things easier, but he wasn't sure if the two knew how to use it. The little creature guy had Nico Robin held at gunpoint, which seemed a handicap to Sanji as she was both a member of the crew and a woman.

Ace cursed - these fights weren't the kind he was best at. He preferred a straight out brawl over mind games.

But.....maybe if he could take out the creature in one hit, then maybe - just maybe - he could end the fight before it got serious.

Appearing before the creature, he slammed his fist into its face, the gremlin slamming into the ground. 

Robin whirled around, eyes uncharacteristically wide and hands at the ready. "What...."

"Hey, Robin," Sanji called out. "Did you do that?"

She looked back to her companion. "No, I didn't...." Then her face went grave. " _We are not alone._ "

Even Sanji became pale.

Ace just laughed.

Groaning, the creature sat up, holding its head. "It's....not over.....I'm....not finished!"

The creature disappeared into one of his holes, but Ace was already on his way - he couldn't win every fight for the Strawhats, but he could make the load less heavy for them.

A bunch of screaming carried over the battlefield, and Ace looked over yet again to find Chopper, Soul King Brook, and Usopp running away from a woman. She must have a Devil Fruit.

He appeared next to Usopp, frowning at the woman. "So, what trouble is she causing?"

"I don't know," huffed the skeleton. "But she's says it's all luck!"

Ace though his neck snapped from how fast he had turned it. "What?" he asked.

"What?" echoed Usopp and Chopper.

"Never-mind that," Usopp said, readjusting his goggles. "I think I have a plan...Usopp Dash!" the man said, speeding away.

"What?" cried out Chopper and Brook.

Ace blinked. Did the snipper think that running away would get him out of his predicament...? Surely not - he had something else planned. Anyone sailing with Luffy had to be able to make it through fights such as these.

He would've listened to the woman's cocky reply to Usopp's retreat, but a familiar yelling sound drew his attention. Luffy was making his way back, face narrowed in fury and determination. Jumping up, without blowing up his arms like balloons, he hit the golden golem in the face, actually forcing it to stumble backwards. However, the golem retaliated by slamming its fist into Luffy, then into the ground.

 _It should be fine_ , Ace thought. _Blunt attacks are harmless..._

Still, he was an older brother, and after everything that's happened, he couldn't not worry.

But, Luffy never stayed down for long and burst up just about the moment he touched the ground, his arms expanding once more. "Grizzly...." Luffy shouted, his arms becoming coated with Haki. Then he swung his arms down, straight onto the golem's face. "Magnum!"

The two went at it, Luffy with the advantage of being too small to pinpoint compared to the large size of the golem. In fact, Luffy ran up the golem's arms - he was everywhere.

Out of nowhere, cannon-fire sounded and multiple explosions sounded off and the projectiles smacked onto the golden golem.

Ace whirled around, and through an opening in the casino he could see marine vessels a few ways away. "Damn marines -"

A wave of fire washed over the boats, and Ace smirked. _So that's where you are._ The marines wouldn't be any more trouble to them today, that was for sure.

Luffy continued running up the golem's arm, and his fist pulled back, coated once more with Haki....and fire? "Gum Gun Red Hawk!" Luffy's fist rocked the golem, but it still didn't fall.

However, Tesoro's punch slammed into Luffy, and Ace frowned. Something wasn't right, something - Luffy tumbled to the ground, covered in cuts and scrapes.

"Damn it," Ace muttered. "Damn this, damn Haki, damn everything -"

He appeared at Luffy's side, and looking over at the battle scene, things weren't looking up. Tesoro's golem had grabbed a hold of Nami, his laughing echoing around the arena.

"Come on, Luffy," Ace shook Luffy's shoulders. Luffy still wouldn't be able to see him - he wasn't ready, not yet - but he let his voice able to be heard. "Get up - your crew needs you, moron."

"Ace..." Luffy's lips moved, barely making a sound. Then it began gaining strength. "My crew....Tesoro!"

By the time Luffy shouted the man's name, he was up. Not standing, but the rage and determination on his face was palpable. "Come here and fight me! Let her go!"

The golem had one tiny, almost unnoticeable moment of hesitation, and began ranting - about how he owned everyone, about how he could do what he wanted, about how he was god. Raising his arm, the golem hurled Nami towards another woman at break neck speed.

And Luffy was gone, his rubber arms wrapping around the two women, pulling them out of harm's way. The golden golem starting attacking where they had been, but Ace knew they'd be long gone from that spot - after all, a troublesome little brother never learned how to stay still.

Out of the smoke that the golem created, emerged a figure that Ace hadn't seen before. It was Luffy....but bigger, bulkier, and he had a lot more muscle than what he was used to seeing on his little string-bean brother.

"Wait a minute," Ace squinted his eyes up at Luffy, before remembering that he could be next to Luffy u there in the sky. "Is he seriously flying right now?"

In one blow, Luffy destroyed one of the golem's arms. Floating midair, Luffy pulled back his fist. "Gum Gum Kong...." Luffy yelled. "Gun!" His fist slammed into the golem's cheek, and the golem went crashing to the ground.

Around the arena, the various Strawhats were finishing up their battles as well. Zoro seemed to have finished early, the man being a piece of cake, having no skill to fall back upon besides Haki, which Zoro looked to have broken through anyway. 

Nico Robin, when the goblin creature had been dazed by Ace's attack, had one of her eyes bloom on its body, and had her limbs bloom at the exact opportunity she wished, successfully capturing it. 

And Usopp cleverly defeated the woman, using her own luck against her. Ace smiled - Luffy really did have an amazing crew. Someday, he'd have to thank them personally.

But even with their victories, it still didn't change the fact that the boss wasn't out completely. Tendrils of gold snaked across the ground, and Ace projected his voice: "Tesoro is still at it!"

He could see Luffy's head snap upright, but they didn't have time for that yet - not as the enemy was still going. The golem's chest pumped: one, twice, and a wall of gold arose. Even amid the sea of gold, everyone sinking in, Luffy did not falter. He looked confused, but tensed his shoulders and glared at Tesoro.

"Let them go!" Luffy yelled.

Tesoro raised his hands to the sky, a mad smile on his face. "Yes, that's right, show me your fury! This is the pain of being powerless! Your loved ones being taken away before your very eyes! That's the way of the world, I'm afraid! Gold rules over everything!"

Ace couldn't help the scowl appearing on his face. That bastard. He didn't know what Tesoro had gone through, and he couldn't bring himself to care. Luffy had already experienced those things - he didn't need any more deaths of loved ones. Luffy's pain and fury could never be used for entertainment.

He felt the air grow hotter around him, and he didn't care. Putting together an execution for Luffy's first mate, then this...? Who the _hell_ did Tesoro think he is?

"Screw your gold!" Luffy declared, shooting himself towards Tesoro.. "Nobody rules me!"

Tesoro, in desperation, fired off another shot at Luffy, but Luffy's strength tore through it like paper. Gold rose in the air, then fell upon the arena harmlessly.

-"THE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

Luffy's voice boomed throughout the casino, and Tesoro's gold shattered into pieces. As he gazed upon the falling gold, Ace forced himself to slowly lower the temperature - it wouldn't do to make him stronger and Sabo weaker. Sabo needed the power more, after all.

What use did a dead man have for power?

Amid all the destruction, Luffy had landed within the broken arena, his crew gathered around him. The sun was rising, and despite his earlier rage, he felt strangely at peace. Luffy was going to be okay.

After all, he was in good hands.

Sparing a last look towards his brother, Ace waved a hand in farewell - which no one was supposed to see, but didn't miss the skeleton side-eyeing him - and grinned. "I'll see you on our next adventure."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, did you talk to him?" Sabo asked, lounging in his hammock.

"Nope," Ace said, feeling perfectly fine with it.

"Really?" Sabo arched an eyebrow.

"You didn't either," Ace pointed out.  
  


"That doesn't count," Sabo defended himself.

"How does that not count?" Ace asked incredulously.

"Because-" Sabo was interrupted by Koala, who smacked him on the top of his head with a hard covered book.

"Morons don't get to make excuses," Koala said, glaring daggers down at Sabo. "I knew you were up to something when you mentioned Lucci coming - you just wanted to fight him!"

Sabo raised his hands in defense. "It was fine, I didn't get hurt -"

Koala pulled on his cheeks. "Is that why you think I'm mad. You little..."

The revolutionary kept ranting, but Ace basked in their banter. The world would keep turning, and the sun shining, and Luffy?

Why, Luffy would be the King of the Pirates.


End file.
